


A whole new world

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, Romance, Sexy Times, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 73
Words: 72,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: Arthur Pendragon, just done with his residency and finally a proper doctor, has a difficult time finding a job after an ugly row with his father. When the job offer to work in a hospital in Ealdor comes in, he hardly thinks twice before accepting. Only to find out that Ealdor is on the other end of the world. And a lot of things aren't the way he had pictured them.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 822
Kudos: 446





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't know where this came from and why I'm already posting without even knowing where to go next. Let's find out if this has potential first, shall we?
> 
> BTW, I have no medical knowledge that goes further than the basic first aid class. I try to do research on what I'm writing in this area, but I might get it wrong. Apologies.

„Where is that?“ Arthur stared as he pressed his mobile against his ear. This was supposed to be the call he was waiting for, but…Canada? Had he understood that correctly? “And where exactly? A bit north of Calgary? Oh, I see.”

Slowly, he let the mobile sink after the voice on the other end had announced that he was expected next week. It was correct that he had ticked the ‘as soon as possible’ box in his application, but he had meant a hospital somewhere here in the city. Or at least in the district. Or…the country? 

He had been looking for a job for what felt like ages. Of course he could have taken a position in one of his father’s clinics, but he just wasn’t a plastic surgeon, he wanted to help people. That he had been part of a prominent party clique and that his grades had suffered turned out to be a bigger obstacle than he had expected, even though he had the best references from where he did his residency.

Sometimes it felt as if father had been so cross after that shouting match they had a few months back that he had called every medical facility in the country to not accept him. 

Arthur looked around. What did he have to lose? He would go to Canada – always good to have a bit of experience abroad – work there for a couple of months and wait for offers from the good places in London. That way, he would have a place to stay, and income and get some experience under his belt, which would come in handy for the jobs he really wanted. 

Nothing kept him here anyway. His boyfriend had broken up with him a few weeks ago, the footie team he had been playing on had kind of dissolved when people moved away and without a job, the city only meant not to go to the movies or out for a drink. He could as well spend a few months in Calgary and then come back when the right offer came along. 

+++

It had been a hectic week with deciding what to take a long and packing, cancelling a few things and making sure he would be at the airport on time. Now Arthur was squeezed in economy class for the next nine or ten hours and tried to get comfortable. If he were honest, he had never been in economy class before and wondered how people could do it. Oh well, he would find out as they had left London Heathrow about two hours ago. 

Putting his earphones in, Arthur was set on listening to an audiobook, but found he couldn’t focus. Had he done the right thing? Leaving the country for a job in a clinic at the other end of the world? He couldn’t go back now, he would just go through with it. And hey, it was Calgary, so it wasn’t like the middle of nowhere, right? Right. 

Arthur didn’t know how he had done it, but he had managed to get some sleep in and blinked when the flight attendants woke him to announce that they would be serving a meal now and after that they’d already be approaching Calgary. 

With his passport in hand, Arthur stood in line for customs and couldn’t suppress the yawn. That he had slept on the flight didn’t mean he wasn’t tired. He had been on the road for too long, he needed a shower and a bed and about twenty-four hours of sleep. That might fix it. 

When he finally answered all the questions of the imigrations officer, he went to get his luggage and checked his mobile again. The people from the hospital had said they would sent someone to pick him up. With a bit of luck, that person would already be waiting for him and would take him to a nice and quiet place where he could get some rest and then start with a tour of the hospital the next day. 

Stepping out into the big hall, he saw a gangly bloke holding a sign “Dr. Pendragon”. Arthur had expected a limo driver, but this man hadn’t bothered to wear a freshly laundered pair of jeans or a shirt that didn’t have holes in the sleeves. Oh well, as long as he brought him where he needed to be…

“I’m Dr. Pendragon.”

“Oh…hi! I’m Merlin!”

“Hi…Merlin.” What kind of greeting was that? “Are you supposed to take me to Ealdor?”

The man beamed and even though Arthur was so tired he could sleep standing up, he noticed that it was a nice smile, very infectious and he couldn’t help smiling back. 

“Yup. We’re so happy that you are finally here!”

Arthur didn’t comment but followed Merlin through the airport. He was bit too enthusiastic for his liking, but maybe everybody here was like that? 

“Aren’t we going in the wrong direction?” He asked after they had been walking for what felt like eternities. They had long passed the signs that led people to the parking garages and there were less and less people around. 

“No, Berta is parked over there.”

“Berta…” As if just mentioning a name would explain everything. 

Merlin opened a door to the airfield and grinned. “Berta, my Piper Super Cub.”

Arthur blinked. Whatever that meant, the words didn’t make any sense, but there was clearly an airplane where Merlin pointed to. “What…WHAT?”

“How else do you think we get around up north?” Merlin grinned.

“By car like civilized people?”

“A car wouldn’t do you any good. We’d be on the road for days. Come on.”

Arthur still had followed Merlin out on the airfield, but now he stopped. For days? Up north? Just how far ‘outside of Calgary’ was this town? 

Merlin came back. “What? You’re not afraid of flying, are you?” He grinned. “You’ve just been on one of the huge ones, you can’t be scared of Berta!”

“Just…how far ‘outside of Calgary’ is Ealdor?”

Reaching for Arthur’s suitcase, Merlin grinned. “Not far. About two hours. Two and a half if the wind doesn’t like us.”

Arthur just stared at him.


	2. Chapter 2

“What? They told you that Ealdor is not right next to a big city, didn’t they?” Merlin’s face faltered a bit. 

“Not really.” Arthur didn’t know what to do. He had signed a work contract, he couldn’t just bail out now. Then again, they hadn’t been honest with him either, had they? “What’s the next bigger city?” Not that he was an expert in Canadian geography – apparently – but maybe there was something closer that he had heard about?

Merlin laughed. “Calgary.”

That made it very clear. This Ealdor was in the middle of nowhere. 

“Come on, we can’t miss our starting window.” Merlin just dragged Arthur’s suitcase along to the aircraft that seemed to be tiny compared to the one Arthur had just left. 

Arthur had a difficult time moving. He just couldn’t go there. He was a big city person, he didn’t belong into the wilderness. But he had signed up for this and it was partially his own fault for not doing proper research. He had a duty to fulfil and he would at least try it. Calm down, Arthur, a few months, you can do it. It was a hospital, there were other doctors, so things would be alright. Slowly, he followed Merlin. 

All through the flight – which was the bumpiest Arthur had ever been on – Merlin babbled, but Arthur couldn’t listen. He was too busy holding on to handles and the seatbelt and the seat itself. Did he really have to come to Canada to die? Stepping out into traffic on a busy road in London would have done it! 

“And you have to admit that the landscape is spectacular.” Merlin smiled over at him.

The smile was the only thing he could see of him as he had covered his unruly pelt with a baseball hat before he had put the headphones of the communication system on. Large, mirrored aviator shades covered his eyes. Not that Arthur had time to notice any of this, he was too busy holding on for dear life. If he hadn’t been so anxious, he would have admitted that Merlin was right. Arthur had never seen so many mountains and so much snow and so much…nothing before. 

He yelled out when a gust of wind caught the little plane and seemingly tossed them off course. 

It seemed as if Merlin didn’t even blink an eye – not that he could see it anyway – when he corrected the course and steadied the tiny tin box they were in. 

“Calm down, Berta, just a bit of wind, we’ve been through worse.”

When Merlin mumbled ‘calm down’, Arthur assumed he was talking to him before he realized that he was talking to the plane. What an odd person!

Arthur wasn’t a religious man, but when they finally touched down on an air strip outside a little settlement, he thanked all deities that he had ever heard of. “We made it!”

Merlin laughed. “That sounds as if you seriously doubted that.” He took the headphones and glasses off when he parked the Super Cub and grinned. “Welcome to Ealdor.”

He was sure that his facial expression that he had schooled to show total indifference for years, didn’t obey now. “You mean…these are the suburbs?”

Laughing again, Merlin jumped out of the plane. “No, this IS Ealdor. What did you expect? New York City of the North?”

Slowly and laboriously Arthur climbed out and he was sure it looked more like a badly controlled fall, but the ground had him back! With wobbly legs he followed Merlin, who was already dragging his luggage around. “Well, probably not New York City, but…” At least not this. But he couldn’t say it, Merlin seemed to be so proud of this little town. 

The sun was out and this could have been a nice vacation location if you liked total seclusion. It was rather chilly and Arthur put up the collar of his jacket. 

“Hope you brought a real coat, it can get cool in the evening.” Merlin commented as he led him to an old, battered truck. 

Arthur was too busy looking around to comment. This was the best coat all of London had to offer. Fine grey wool and to the latest fashion, it had cost him a fortune. Not that a country bumpkin like Merlin would have any idea of that. 

It was as if Merlin never stopped talking. He explained where Arthur could find the local barber, they passed the trading post – Arthur assumed that it was some kind of supermarket, but Merlin was too busy telling him about the owner – the local pub, the town square and finally, he stopped the truck in front of a plain looking one-story building that had seen better times. 

“And this,” Merlin announced with a lot of pride in his voice “Is the hospital.”

Arthur blinked. This was probably the post office. Or maybe the school for the few local children that no doubt were all in one class, no matter how old they were. But by no means this could be called a hospital.

“Wanna say hi?” Not waiting for an answer, Merlin had already jumped out of the truck and expected Arthur to follow. 

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and scrambled out of the truck – just as ‘graceful’ as he had gotten out of the plane – and looked at the building. The paint was peeling off and did that window over there really have a large crack in it?

“Come on, they all want to meet you.” Merlin held the door for him.

Taking that one step up to the door, Arthur braced himself. That the building had seen better times didn’t have to mean that everything in it was outdated. Maybe they would surprise him with a state-of-the-art interior and a smoothly running, professional hospital. 

“Gwen?” Merlin shouted through the entrance area.

Alright, maybe there wasn’t much to do in here. Fine by him, he could use the spare time to network and get more applications in with the big players.

“Not now, Merlin! I’m in the middle of…” A series of rather colourful curses followed as something loudly tumbled to the ground. 

“The new doctor is here!” Merlin chimed, not at all fazed by the tone of voice. 

Instead of an apology and someone rushing out to meet him, all Arthur heard was “It’s about time he got his skinny arse here.”

Arthur didn’t have time to process this when Merlin just laughed. “He’s standing right next to me.”

“Oh.”

A dark-skinned beauty in a pink scrub, an arm full of dressing material in battered boxes, appeared from a door. “It’s so good that you’re here.” She smiled widely at him, her tone of voice all of a sudden so different from when she had cursed up a storm. “Been sorting this stuff, we’re really low on it, but the next transport plane will only be here in about three weeks.” She hauled the boxes onto the front desk and stepped up to them. “Hi, I’m Gwen.”

“Arthur,” Arthur nodded politely. “So…you’re one of the other doctors here?”

She looked at him for a moment before she burst out laughing. “No, I’m the head nurse. Which means, I’m basically the only nurse. As you are the only doctor here. Haven’t they told you?” She giggled.

Arthur’s face clearly showed that no, nobody had told him that he would be the only doctor probably within a radius of 2 ½ hours of flight. No back-up, no alternate, no nothing. 

“I’m glad you’re finally here,” Gwen continued. “I tried to keep everything up and running since Mel had to retire.”

Mel? Had to retire? What was the story behind this? Arthur was too tired to think about it. 

“Doctor Mel’s Alzheimer’s got too bad, he couldn’t go on.” Merlin explained. 

Oh, that was unfortunate. “So…I’m the only one here.”

Gwen smiled. “You’re not alone. I patched the people of Ealdor up since he left, so I know a thing or two.” She winked. “But you must be tired from the flight. I think I can hold down the fort a bit longer, so you take him to Mithy’s for a good meal and a warm bed, Merlin. And I will give you a tour and a quick run-down tomorrow.” 

It sounded as if they were dismissed. Even though Arthur had yet to process that he would be the only physician, he had the feeling that Gwen had been doing a bit more than just hand out Aspirin and plasters. She seemed to know what she was doing and Arthur hoped they would form a good team.

Just as Merlin nodded and turned to take Arthur to Mithy’s – who or whatever that was – the door flew open.

“Gwen! It’s Jessie…he doesn’t stop puking!” A woman rushed in, a small boy of about seven in her arms.

He was tired to the core and just functioning on adrenaline, but that was a situation Arthur was used to. He’d pulled endless double shift in which he had only run on coffee and yet done the best the hospital had ever seen. His instincts sprang into action immediately.

“What did he eat?” He took the boy from the woman’s arms and looked at Gwen “Where to?”

Gwen led the way to an examination room and the woman followed.

“I want Gwen to check him!” The woman insisted. 

“I’m a doctor,” Arthur just said when he put the little boy who seemed to have bad stomach cramps and was sweating. “Blood pressure?” He ordered and Gwen sprang into action.

“Too low.”

“Jessie,” he squatted next to the boy’s bed. “I’m Arthur. Can you tell me what you ate?”

“Nothing.” The boy whispered.

“Oh, come on,” Arthur sent him a conspiratorial smile. “You can tell me, I won’t tell your mom.”

The very mom who was still in the room and pretty much freaking out. 

“We were just playing.” Jessie whispered before he made a face again.

“Outside?” Arthur assumed that children around here would be out on the woods to play.

The boy nodded.

“We just ate the red berries.”

“Red berries.” Arthur looked questioningly at Gwen. He didn’t have the slightest knowledge of the Canadian flora.

Gwen paled. “Winter berries? Jessie, how big were they?”

The boy showed with his thumb and index finger, before he started heaving, turned and puked all over Arthur’s best winter coat that he was still wearing.


	3. Chapter 3

Shedding the coat, Arthur could see that Merlin, who was still hanging out, was trying to stifle a laugh. The mother was profusely apologizing, but none of this was important now.

Looking at Gwen, Arthur had no idea what winter berries were, but by her reaction, it was safe to say that they were poisonous. 

“Gwen, prepare an infusion.” Arthur turned to Jessie and smiled at him. “Thank you for telling us, it helps us help you feel better.” He squeezed the little hand that was clutching his.

After applying the infusion and injecting the only medicine against vomiting the medicine cupboard seemed to hold, Jessie finally stopped puking and fell asleep. 

“We’ll keep him here over night.” Arthur explained. “Please, go home, get some rest.”

“I can’t leave my boy alone!”

Gwen took over seamlessly. “Nobody else is here. We can move another bed next to Jessie’s and you can stay and then take him home tomorrow morning when Doctor Pendragon discharged him.”

This was by no means standard procedure, but Arthur was too tired to argue, so he just nodded. “Thank you.”

It was only when they had rearranged everything and the boy was sleeping that Arthur noticed that not only his precious coat, but basically all of his clothes had been battered, too. 

Gwen gestured to follow her.

“Shower.” She pointed to a door. “Towels are in there, I’ll bring you some clothes.”

“Oh, I think I can…”

Merlin shook his head. “You can’t. You won’t climb into my truck like this.”

Arthur was certain that Merlin’s truck had seen worse things than a doctor who had been vomited on, but a shower sounded heavenly now. 

When he came back out, wearing a pair of old doctor’s pants and some light green scrubs that had seen better days and were way too big for him, Gwen handed him a cup of tea. 

“Well done, doctor. And welcome to Ealdor.”

It was the best cup of tea Arthur had ever had. Not because it was an exceptionally well-made one, but it came at the right time. That Gwen showed him to a room with a big couch and cozy blankets and pillows was just what he needed now. He had dreaded going out in the chilly Canadian morning again and not really cared about meeting more new people in the state he was in. 

“Thank you, Gwen.” It wasn’t only for the tea or the place to sleep. Arthur knew he couldn’t have handled the situation without her. She knew what the boy had eaten and what to do about it. And yet she had made it look as if he had been in charge. 

He had been trained to take over and order nurses around, make his word the law and not tolerate objections. This situation had shown him, though, that he wouldn’t make it far in this environment if he didn’t listen to the locals. That Gwen had made him realize this without questioning his authority was something he was grateful for. 

“Any time, doctor.” She smiled. “Now sleep. I’ll call you if something changes.”

+++

Arthur woke up to the odd feeling of someone staring at him. Grumbling, he opened one eye. It couldn’t be an emergency, Gwen would have woken him up differently and during his residency, he had developed a feeling for when he needed to be awake immediately. 

A little, dirty boy was kneeling next to the couch, intently staring at him. 

“Hi.” Arthur mumbled.

“Are you the doctor?”

Sitting up, Arthur ran a hand through his hair and blinked. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“Mordred! What did I tell you? Why did you wake the doctor up?” Gwen’s voice came from outside and then she rushed in. “Sorry, doctor, he just snuck by when I was checking on Jessie.”

“But Gwen, Petey needs help!”

Arthur got up right away. This must be a dangerous community when he had two emergencies on the day he arrived. “Where is he?”

“There!” The boy pouted to where a big, old, shaggy dog had gotten comfortable on the arm chair. 

“That’s…a dog.” Arthur blinked.

“I know.” The boy sounded irritated as if Arthur was an idiot for having to mention that Petey was a dog. 

“I’m not a veterinarian.” He shook his head. 

“But you’re a doctor!” The boy insisted. 

“But for people, not for animals.” 

“But he’s injured!”

Arthur threw Gwen a look after Mordred’s head and she just grinned and shrugged.

“Isn’t there a vet in this town?”

Gwen shook her head. “Two towns over, he comes here regularly or when we call him for emergencies, but it takes him at least an hour to fly in.”

Oh, swell. Which meant that this vet wouldn’t just come over for a sprained ankle of an old dog. 

Sighing, Arthur sat down on the coffee table and held his hand out to the dog, so he could sniff at it. “Alright, what happened?”

Mordred excitedly told a long-winded story of how they had been playing in the woods and if Arthur understood it correctly, the dog had stepped into a rabbit-hole and sprained his ankle. What was he to do? Of course he had a basic understanding of what a dog skeleton looked like and the tendons weren’t that much different of those of a human, but he was no expert. 

“Will you bite me when I look at your foot, Petey?” He asked and the dog wagged his tail. “Is that a yes?”

Gwen laughed. “I think old Petey never bit anything or anyone in his entire life.”

Carefully, Arthur tried to examine the hurt foot, but the dog yelped and then tries to nudge his hand away. Arthur was quite happy that his human patients never did that and if, they at least didn’t have fangs like this almost-wolf. He did the best he could, found that the ankle was swollen and asked for a bandage. He patched the dog up the best he could. 

“Try to keep him from running about and stay out of the woods for a while, alright?” He instructed Mordred. 

“Thank you, doctor. I will, doctor.” Mordred beamed and then coaxed the old dog out of the chair and together they left. 

Arthur looked after them.

“I think, I said it before,” Gwen grinned. “Welcome to Ealdor, Doctor Pendragon.”


	4. Chapter 4

“That was really delicious, thank you.” Arthur smiled at Mithian. 

After having to patch up the dog, Merlin had shown up and taken him to the local pub. He hadn’t liked that he had to go there in the old doctor’s clothes, but Merlin had already taken his things to the room above the pub. 

“No, thank you, Doc.” She took the plate away. “I’m always happy when people like our cooking.”

Arthur looked after her.

“She loves to cook but everybody around here already knows her skills. That someone new compliments her food will make her smile for weeks.” Merlin took a sip of his soda.

“I meant it, that was really…” Arthur didn’t have words for it. He was so used to hospital cafeteria meals or take-out that he had forgotten what a home-cooked meal tasted like. “Fantastic.”

Merlin grinned, but then the smile slid off his face. “We’re all sorry that you have to stay here in the pub. The one week before you arrived just wasn’t enough to fix up Doc Mel’s old place.”

“Speaking of which…how can I just live in the old doctor’s house?” Arthur wasn’t too thrilled of the prospect of living above the pub for a while, he preferred to have his peace and quiet after work, but it felt odd that he could move into the house the previous doctor had vacated a year ago.

“It’s more of a…” Merlin looked around. “It’s a house that kind of belongs to everyone, we all put together for it.”

“So who do I pay the rent to?” Arthur wasn’t used to renting places, but he wouldn’t stay long anyway, so buying would not make much sense. 

Merlin smiled carefully. “Nobody. It’s like…part of your pay.”

Arthur hadn’t even been looking at what he would be paid, he just wanted a job. Slowly, it dawned on him that the pay would probably not be enough to at least make it to Calgary once a month. 

“But of course, you can decorate the house the way you want, nobody will tell you what to do.”

“Oh, I’m not big on decorating. It’s probably fine the way it is.” And if not, he wouldn’t be staying long anyways. 

Merlin told him things about the people in the pub, some came over to say hello and Arthur started to realize what a close-knit community this was. It probably had to be, this far at the end of nowhere, people had to rely on each other as outside help took too long to come in. 

As he finished his beer an hour later, Arthur got up. “I should probably retreat for the night. I’m still jet-lagged and I want a fresh start in the morning.”

Nodding, Merlin got up as well. “Of course. Have a good night, Arthur.”

“Good night, Merlin.”

On his way to the stairs, Arthur was stopped by some of the patrons, some welcomed him to Ealdor, some had heard about the incident with Jessie and thanked him for saving the little boy. 

Lying in the soft, warm bed, Arthur realized that he wouldn’t be able to sleep for quite a while. The soft murmurs coming from the pub were just loud enough for him to stay awake and the jet-lag did the rest. How late was it back home? Definitely not sleeping time and that he had slept a couple of hours on the couch in the hospital didn’t help either. 

What was he going to do? This was not the environment he ever pictured himself in. He wanted to be a surgeon, not a general practitioner. And definitely not a wanna-be vet on top of it. But these people were desperate enough to hire a total stranger from the other end of the world and the sheer trust he felt they put in him already made it difficult to just get up and leave. Not that he could leave on his own anyways, he needed someone to fly him out and if they all decided that they wouldn’t, he would be stuck here against his will.

So he could at least give it a try. Even though he was a bit scared of what else this town would throw at him and what the previous doctor had left for him to deal with, he felt that he would be able to work with Gwen. Especially if he didn’t forget that he needed her expertise and knowledge of the town, the people and the local flora and fauna. 

Mithy seemed to be nice, so he figured he would always be fed if he didn’t mess things up. 

And Merlin…Arthur didn’t know what to make of Merlin yet. Aside from the country boy aspect and the lazy way he dressed, he could totally be his type. Maybe it was just his overly tired mind, but he thought he got some vibes from Merlin. Unless Merlin was just a generally friendly soul who liked everyone. 

But why was he thinking thoughts like this at all? His time here was limited, he just needed to make it through the next couple of weeks and with a bit of luck, he’d landed a new job by then and would leave and never look back. Better not getting too close to these people.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning started cold and clear, the sun was slowly showing and the sky promised to get a vibrant blue. Arthur shivered as he dragged himself down the stairs. He had managed to get some hours of sleep in after all and now was on the way to the hospital. He needed to get an overview of the paperwork and the stock they could work with. The battered bandage boxes Gwen had tried to rearrange the day before didn’t look promising. 

“Good morning, Doc!”

Whoa, Mithy was way too cheery this early in the morning. “Morning.”

“Your breakfast is coming right up.” She yelled from the kitchen.

“Just a cup of coffee for me, thank you.” Arthur regretted that he had left his thermos tumbler back in England. He could get it filled and the coffee would still be hot when he reached the hospital. 

Mithy plain ignored him and put a plate with a giant breakfast in front of him. Scrambled eggs, toast, hash browns, even beans. 

Arthur looked at her. He could never understand the habit of having beans in a tomato sauce for breakfast. 

“Something wrong? I’ll get you your coffee right away.”

How should he explain that he didn’t even like beans for breakfast when she had gone through the trouble of making them for him? 

Setting the steaming coffee mug down on the counter, she smiled. “It’s cold up here, you can’t start your day without a decent breakfast. I even looked up how the beans are being made. You English sure like your beans for breakfast.” She laughed. 

“Err…actually…” Arthur looked at the beans and then back at her. “When it comes to this, I’m not very English at all.” He shrugged.

She reached over and patted his hand. “Alright, I’ll leave them off from tomorrow on. But now you eat.”

As she had gone through all the trouble of making them, Arthur obediently ate the beans and totally cleared the plate. It was just so good! Maybe he shouldn’t have stopped eating breakfast years ago?

“Thank you, Mithy. I think I’ll go over to the hospital now.”

“Any time and…oh, wait. Merlin brought something for you.”

“Merlin? For me?”

She came around the counter, holding up a thick padded winter coat, the very same one that everybody here seemed to be wearing, with a hood and a fake fur around the rim. “He said that the coat you brought had a little accident yesterday.” She grinned and he knew that she knew exactly what the nature of this ‘accident’ had been. “You can borrow this one until you unpacked your own.”

Arthur looked at it and only slowly extended a hand to take it. He had never worn someone else’s clothes, but now he would be forced to as his coat was ruined and it would probably take a while before an Amazon order got here because the ruined coat was actually the only one he had brought. “Err…thank you.”

Stepping outside, he quickly pulled the zipper up. It was a lot colder than it looked, his breath was making little funny fog clouds as he crossed the street and walked down the walk-way on the other side. Could it even be called sidewalk? It was more of a board walk. What had he gotten himself into?

Opening the door of the hospital, he basked in the warmth. It never really got cold in London, so he wasn’t used to temperatures below zero. 

“Morning!” Gwen shouted from somewhere in the back. “Is it an emergency? If not, sit down, I’ll be right with you.”

“Good morning, Gwen.” It was clear that she was used to running the place and Arthur had every intention to not get on her bad side. He needed her as much as this town needed a proper doctor. 

“Oh, Doc! Good morning.” She came around the corner, smiling. “I hope it was alright to discharge Jessie. He was fine this morning.”

No, it wasn’t alright that she had just discharged the boy without him at least checking him again. 

“And you’re so late, I didn’t want to keep them any longer. His mother has to go to work, you know?”

Things obviously worked a bit differently around here. Hanging up his jacket – or rather Merlin’s jacket – he took a deep breath. “I’d prefer to check patients again before discharging them. But…thank you. My inner clock still isn’t set on Ealdor time, seems I overslept a little.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’d give you a tour of the place, but…” She made a face. 

“But?”

“The waiting room is already packed.”

Arthur blinked. “Is it always crowded like this?”

“No. But I reckon they heard that the new doctor has arrived.”

That was another thing Arthur hadn’t expected. He had been preparing for a day of getting to know the hospital, finding out about the supplies they had, getting a feeling for the way things were handled. As he already had his first two patients the previous day, he had thought things would be calm and slow in the beginning, he had been wrong. 

“I’ll get changed and be right with them. Could you get me the first patient’s file on the desk already, please?”

Looking at himself in the little mirror in the room where he had slept on the couch the day before, Arthur nodded at himself. He could do this! Adjusting the collar of his long white coat and checking if his tie was properly tied, he stepped out and went to…well, where? Where was the office of the doctor here?

Gwen rescued him once again, put a file folder into his hand and steered him towards one of the rooms. “Mrs. Martin?” She yelled in the direction of the waiting room.

Arthur barely had time to take in the room she had shoved him into. It looked like a doctor’s office in the middle of the last century and it probably hadn’t seen a renovation since. It was darkish and the big old desk seemed to glare at him. The absence of a computer was the first thing Arthur noticed. 

He didn’t have time to elaborate on it when a middle-aged woman came into the room. 

“Good morning,” he checked the file “Mrs. Martin.” He gestured for her to take a seat in one of the two small chairs in front of the massive desk. 

“You know, Doc, we don’t appreciate having to wait around here.”

Whoa, that was quite the greeting. “I am sorry, I only flew in yesterday and it seems that I was quite tired after already having a patient upon my arrival.” He smiled at her. “What can I do for you?”

After a few hours, Arthur rubbed his face and got up. He had seen patient after patient, but none of them needed his help. 

Stepping out into the waiting room, Arthur looked around. 

“Is there anyone who requires medical attention?”

The waiting people either looked at each other or pointedly not at Arthur. 

“I have wasted the last couple of hours listening to family stories, past medical history and mostly irrelevant drama. I am here to help…when medical intervention is required. I am not here to entertain the bored crowd. So, I’m asking again: Is there anyone who requires medical attention?” He looked around. “Nobody? Then I have to ask you to leave and only come back when you need us.”

This was incredible. What were those people thinking? He had listened to so many pointless stories that his ears were hurting. Not one of the people he’d seen actually had any problems. 

Gwen stared at him. “What the doctor is saying is…you can meet him some other time.” Then she whispered loud enough for him to hear. “He’s still jet-lagged…and you know, he’s English.”

Whatever that was supposed to mean, it seemed to help. Slowly, people started to move, even though they didn’t seem happy, and left. 

“Thank you.”

Gwen looked at him and Arthur knew he was in for a good old-fashioned scolding. 

“You can’t talk to them like this.”

“I have to.”

“They all are your employers, they have a right to meet you.”

“They might be, but that doesn’t give them the right to block resources like that. In the time I’ve wasted to listen to who said what to whom, I could have gotten an overview of the condition this hospital is in and started making a list of things we need.”

Gwen looked at him as if he was daft. “Give them a bit of time. Doc Mel always took time for a chat, they are used to that. He knew everything about everyone.”

“Probably, but I’m not Doc Mel. We have work to do, we can’t waste time with chats. Speaking of things that we need…where’s the computer?”

Now Gwen burst out laughing. “Yeah, right, the computer. How many computers do you see around here?”

“None?”

“That’s just how many computers we have.” She declared and turned to go.

“What? Wait! How on earth did you get any work done around here?”

Gwen turned halfways. “By listening to the people of the community and not by snubbing them!”


	6. Chapter 6

Stepping from one foot to the other to keep warm, Arthur held his mobile this way and that. They had promised him WiFi, but that only seemed to work when it wanted. Finally, he got a signal. He needed to do a quick research on how much money was still in his bank account and what the minimum requirements for a small hospital like this one was, so they could set up a little network and file all these heaps of paper electronically. He would get reimbursed when they saw how much better the place was running, right?

While he was at it, he ordered a thick winter coat as well and a pair of sturdy warm boots. The cold was creeping through his fine Italian leather shoes the moment he just thought about going outside, so this seemed to be a good investment. If he could have, he would have ordered a few buckets of paint and a new desk to get rid of the old monstrosity that took up too much space in the examination room, but his finances didn’t allow that after father had cut him off. 

“Is the WiFi always this bad?” He asked when he stepped into the room again. 

“Depends on the weather.” Gwen just shrugged. 

On the weather? WiFi depended on weather? Everything here was strange, but Arthur let it go. 

They had been through the stock after the non-patients had left and he had made a list of what they needed. Gwen was typing up that list on an old-fashioned typewriter. 

“So, when are we going to get the supplies?”

Gwen looked up.

“What?”

“You can hand in the list, but…after that stunt you pulled this morning, I doubt they will be thrilled.”

Oh, that. 

“You know,” Arthur took a deep breath and hung up the borrowed jacket. “They will have to learn that things might work a bit differently from now on. There is nothing to be said against a bit of chitchat, but we need to be able to deal with the real medical issues. And we need to be equipped to do the job. You had the entire responsibility for the past year, now I’m here to share this with you.” It actually felt a lot more as if he had taken over, but he couldn’t tell her this. “If we want to help the people of Ealdor, we have to have these supplies.”

“You still need to be a bit friendlier to town folks.” 

Sighing deeply, Arthur took what she had already typed and gave it a once-over. “Where do I hand this in?”

“You can try Gaius, the mayor.”

“Alright, where’s the town hall?” Reaching for the coat again, Arthur knew he needed to talk to this person. 

Gwen giggled. “You might try Mithy’s. He’s usually there for his afternoon drink at this time of day.”

Blinking, Arthur had a sinking feeling. Had he not only travelled to the neck of the woods, had he by chance also travelled in time and been thrown back about 50 years? He was tired already. 

As he stepped into the pub, his head pulled between his shoulders which didn’t help his cold feet very much, all conversation died down and everyone stared at him. 

“Good afternoon.” 

Most of the patrons turned around and showed him their backs. Swell, just swell. You couldn’t sneeze in this town without everyone knowing about it immediately and the citizens of Ealdor didn’t hold back with their opinion. 

Straightening up, Arthur went to the counter. “Hi, Mithy, I’m looking for…Gaius?”

“What would you want from him?” An old man with white hair asked. 

“I need to talk to him.” Arthur was not going to explain himself to everyone in the pub. They wanted him to be here, he was here and for the short time he would stay, he would try everything in his might to bring the hospital into the 21st century. 

“About what, my boy?”

Arthur stiffened and turned towards the old drunkard slowly. Before he could give him a piece of his mind, though, Mithy put a mug of tea in front of him. 

“I see you already found the man you wanted to talk to.” She smiled. 

Arthur got hot and cold at the same time. He very nearly had snarled at the very man he needed to make nice with. “So, you’re Mr. Gaius?”

“Everybody just calls me Gaius.”

“I’m Dr. Pe…I’m Arthur.” Everybody knew this and Arthur doubted that anyone would ever call him Dr. Pendragon around here anyways. 

“So I’ve heard.”

“It’s nice meeting you.” Arthur put on his most winning smile. “I would have introduced myself earlier, but we’ve had an emergency at the hospital when I arrived.” He shrugged apologetically. 

“Mhmm.” The man sipped his beer. 

“This afternoon, Nurse Smith and me…” Arthur looked around when someone in the room chuckled. Even though they were all pretending to be very busy with something else, they were listening in on every word he said. “We went through the supplies and noticed that we were short of a few things.” He put the list on the counter and shoved it over to Gaius. “It would really help the operational capability of the hospital if we could get all this as soon as possible.”

Gaius sipped his drink again and totally ignored the list. “You know, my boy, the people of this town do everything they can to have a doctor here. They put together for your flight as nobody in the whole damn country wanted to work here. There’s not much left to buy your…supplies.” 

Arthur cursed himself for not reading up on the health care system in this country, so he knew nothing about the ways to get funding and especially not about what was going on that this little clinic here wasn’t supported. “Maybe we can get it from…”

Finally, the man turned and looked at him. “You seem to be a decent fella, my boy. But you have a lot to learn.”

Not really knowing what to say to this, Arthur finished his tea and slid of the bar stool. “I know, but helping the people of Ealdor is my main objective. And it would be so much easier if we at least had some of this to work with.” He patted the list that was still lying between them, untouched by Gaius. Never before did he have to beg for the simple things. The places he worked at had been well-equipped with the basics and when something was missing, he just had to bark at one of the nurses and they jumped and bent over backwards to get him what he needed. He waited for a moment longer but when the man didn’t react, he nodded at him. “Thank you.”

Turning to leave, Arthur was stopped by Gaius taking a deep breath. 

“You know, my boy, this is a pretty long list.”

If the man knew that this was only part of the list they were assembling… “I know. There is a lot of stuff missing.”

“I suppose, Doc Mel had lost oversight of things a bit in the end.”

Arthur knew that the old man had handled things differently and that he was sick in the end hadn’t helped the state of the clinic. Pointing that out would be a huge mistake, though. Everybody seemed to have loved Doc Mel. “And Gwen did a fantastic job keeping it all together.”

Gaius turned. “There was only so much she could do.”

That was true. She was probably so busy substituting a practitioner that she didn’t even have time to go through inventory and other things. 

Slowly, Gaius reached for the list. “I’ll see what I can do.”

That didn’t set his hopes high, but Arthur nodded. “Thank you.”

A whimsical smile showed on the old man’s face. “Doc?”

“Yes?”

“Tossing all those chatterers out that clogged the hospital?”

Oh dear, now he was in for another scolding by the mayor of the town. “I was just…”

The smile turned into a full grin. “Good on you!”


	7. Chapter 7

Gwen had shown him the patients’ files and Arthur was quite thunderstruck. After all he had seen so far, he hadn’t expected the latest in filing systems, but the filing cabinets were overflowing and nothing seemed to make sense. 

“Is there any kind of system to this?”

“Well…” Gwen shrugged. “Here are the ones that come in regularly. There are some that come in once a year and those who haven’t been here in a while are over there.”

Arthur was sure that the way he just blinked was rather comical. He reached for a file folder and blew across it. A huge cloud of dust made them both cough. “I know you were busy in the past year, but…”

Gwen sighed. “You’re right, we need to do something about it.”

“How about…we get this in alphabetical order. It will be easier to file this electronically when we already have an overview. 

“That will take us a while.”

“It will, but in the end, it’ll make our lives easier.”

The look she threw him showed exactly how much she doubted that. 

Arthur didn’t even know where to start. There was so much paper! “How about…we go through the ones that come in often first? That way, I can get an idea of what might be the problem and…”

“You’re not going to memorize these, are you?”

Chuckling, Arthur shook his head. “I’m not that good.” He took off his white coat and started to roll up his sleeves. 

Gwen reached for the first stack. “They might not come in that often, now that you chased them out.”

Arthur’s shoulders sank. “I want them to come in when they have an issue. Something that we can solve. I’m not responsible for what Auntie Ruth said after dinner last Sunday and I don’t feel obligated to fix it.”

“Might take a while before they come back,” Gwen murmured. 

They worked a while in silence when Gwen suddenly went “Awww, Marge…”

“Who?” Arthur looked up.

“Marge…she…”

Arthur took the file out of Gwen’s hand. “Wow, she’s 107…I never thought you could get this old around here with it being cold in winter and such.”

Gwen swallowed. “Marge isn’t 107. Marge passed away.”

He looked up from the file. “It doesn’t say here that…”

“She was just old. There was nothing Doc Mel could do for her.”

Even though it was obvious that Gwen had known this patient and was very affectionate, Arthur looked at all the stacks of files in this little room and a thought occurred to him. “Gwen…how many of these aren’t even alive anymore?”

“A few.”

“Am I right assuming that Doc Mel didn’t mark the files of the deceased?”

She shrugged. “He always said it keeps their memory alive.”

For a moment, Arthur had to pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers. This doctor obviously had gotten attached to his patients. That wasn’t good. “How many…”

Gwen looked at him for a moment. “What you see before you is basically the entire population of Ealdor since 1950.”

Arthur groaned.


	8. Chapter 8

After asking Gwen to sort out all the files they would definitely not be needing anymore, Arthur continued to sort the rest alphabetically. He already felt filthy and it was true, papercuts were the most evil injuries you could obtain. Tiny and not really worth mentioning, but hurting like hell. His white shirt was dusty and he had a dirty streak along his cheek, which he didn’t know. Gwen didn’t look any better. 

When they heard the door opening, they both peeked their heads out of the archive room. 

“Merlin!” Gwen beamed. “What brings you here?”

“Hi Gwen, hey Arthur. Molly sent me over with this. Or rather, I mentioned that I would come here and she asked me to bring this.” Merlin held up a basket full of pears. 

Gwen smiled. “Put them here, the Doc can take them home later.”

“Me? Why?” Not that he didn’t like pears, but a normal person wouldn’t be able to eat all of these before they had gone bad without spending the next 48 hours in the bathroom with severe cramps. 

Arthur saw Gwen and Merlin exchange a look. 

“You know, Molly…Jessie’s mom…they don’t have a lot of money. So she sends this from her garden as a thank you.”

“But…isn’t health care free of charge here?” That was a weird way of paying a bill. 

Merlin nodded. “As I said, it’s a thank you, not payment.”

“What on Earth should I do with so many pears?” Arthur still looked at the fruit. 

Gwen chuckled. “You could make a pie or a crumble or can them or make sauce or…” She stopped when she saw the look on Arthur’s face. “And you have no idea how to make any of these things, right?”

Why would he? He never had any need to cook, bake or especially can something. When he needed something, he went to the next take-out or supermarket and got it. “No?”

Merlin laughed. “I guess, we need to show the good Doctor how to make these things. Or else he might not make it through winter.”

“What does winter have to do with it?” Arthur blinked, unsure what they were up to. 

“Sometimes the supply plane can’t come in for weeks in winter,” Merlin explained as if this was the most normal thing in the world. “You need to learn to stock food.”

Gwen gave him a look. “He never had to.”

Arthur sighed. “Right, I never had to. I live in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.”

Merlin laughed. “Not anymore, my friend.”

And so it happened that when the weekend came, Arthur was in Gwen’s kitchen, peeling the fruit, cutting the fruit, smashing the fruit, watching her cook, bake and preserve it, listening to her explanations and forgetting most of them right away. His fingers were sticky from all the juice, but it smelled heavenly and when they were done, he was quite proud of their work. 

“I’m going to put these jars in a box, so you can carry them a bit better.”

“No, I can’t take all this.”

“Why not? It’s yours.”

Arthur shook his head. “Half of it is yours. Or even more than half of it. Without you, I would have been lost with Jessie, you know that. And you made all of this.”

“You helped.”

“I did nothing.” Arthur laughed. “If you didn’t tell me what to do, I’d still be stuck with a ton of pears.”

Just at that, the door opened and Merlin came in. He sniffed the air. “Did someone say caramel pear crumble?”

Gwen laughed and ordered them around to set the table and made coffee, so they could all sit down and enjoy the crumble.


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur hadn’t felt so relaxed in ages. It almost felt like having friends. Not that he had anything to compare this situation to. The people back home had wanted to be around him for his father’s name and money. They had constantly been out in pubs and clubs or when he was a bit older, they had gone to fancy restaurants. Arthur couldn’t remember a situation where he sat at the table with two people, having cake and talking about everything and nothing. It was almost like in the movies. 

Gwen and Merlin told him lots of stories about the people of Ealdor and they were laughing a lot. Once in a while, Arthur had an anecdote to add, about a former patient or a situation he had been in, but the other two mostly led the conversation and it was getting dark. 

“Come on, stay for dinner.” Gwen held out her hands to make them hand over the dishes they had used for the crumble. 

“I’m so full, I can’t eat another bite.” Arthur smiled. Another feeling he had hardly known. Since he came here, people made him eat and his stomach wasn’t used to more than a few bites of sandwich between two emergencies or a half-eaten salad in the hospital cafeteria. 

Merlin got up and collected the dishes to take them over to the sink. “Same here, but we will help you clean up before we leave.” He threw Arthur a look. “Before I leave, that is.”

Getting up, Arthur looked unsure. “As with the cooking, you need to tell me exactly what I have to do.” The small state-of-the-art kitchen in his apartment had mostly been untouched due to long hours and very good take-away place in the area. The most he had ever made in there was a coffee and that had been the fancy coffee maker’s job. 

They did the dishes together, standing in each others’ way in the small kitchen and neither Merlin nor Arthur knew where dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils went after they had dried them, so Gwen ended up with a giant stack of freshly washed bowls, cups, spoons, glasses, cups and plates on the counter. 

“I’ll put this away.” She smiled. 

“I…I should go back. Thank you for this afternoon, all the cooking and baking and these…” Arthur gestured to all the jars with the preserved variations of the pears. 

Merlin smiled. “You know what? We are going to take this to the house. What would you do with it in the room above the pub anyway? This way, you don’t have to drag it around when you’re moving.”

“The house?” Arthur had intended to ask about it but had been too busy to do so. “Can we go there?”

“The light’s working again.” Merlin explained. “We’re still working on the heating and we need to clean out the chimney, so you won’t set the place on fire.”

“Chimney?” Arthur echoed.

Gwen nodded. “The place has a very cozy fireplace. You’ll love it!”

Like most every house around here had. At least if the pub and Gwen’s place were anything to go by. But not once in his lifetime, Arthur had to make a fire and keep it burning. That could get interesting. 

Together, they carried the jars to Merlin’s truck.

Pulling the zipper of the jacket up all the way, Arthur turned to Gwen. “Thank you. You have to spend the entire week with me at the hospital and now you even volunteered to waste your Saturday on me.”

She shook her head and her dark curls were bopping around her head. “Couldn’t let the pears go to waste.” She grinned and then nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

“Gwen’s great,” Merlin smiled widely as he drove them through the already mostly dark neighbourhood. 

Oh. Arthur threw Merlin a side-ways look. “So…you and Gwen…?”

Merlin laughed. “No. Definitely not. We grew up together. She’s like a little sister to me. And…no, noho.”

For some reason, Arthur was relieved. 

“And you? Is there a pretty lady waiting to come here once you settled in?” Merlin seemed to be very focused on the road. 

Arthur shook his head. “No, nobody. All by myself.”

He saw a small smile on Merlin’s face and didn’t know what to make of it. 

But he didn’t have time to elaborate on that and ask further careful questions as they had left Ealdor, or so it seemed, and after driving through the forest for a while, Merlin finally stopped the car in front of a cabin. 

“We’re here,” he announced. 

Arthur just sat there and took it in. When they had said ‘house’, he had pictured a real house, nothing too big, but certainly not a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. 

“Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Slowly, Arthur scrambled out of the truck – still not more graceful than the first time – and stood there to take the place in some more. Alright, it had a porch with a bench, which was probably not too bad in summer. He could sit out here and watch the surrounding. Not that there was much to see. 

Merlin had already opened the door and went to haul the box with the jars inside and Arthur still stood there, rooted to the spot. 

“Come on in before you freeze to the ground.” Merlin grinned and waved him in. 

Carefully, Arthur took the two stairs up to the porch, took a deep breath and then stepped into the cabin. 

“Wait…” Merlin’s voice came from somewhere to the right and all of a sudden, the light was switched on. 

Arthur looked around. 

“Isn’t it cozy?”

If cozy was just another word for old-fashioned and run-down, then yes, it was cozy. 

“It’s probably not the city apartment you are used to,” Merlin babbled happily, “but it has everything you need.” He pointed. “The fireplace – as I said, we’ll take care that it actually works before you move in, a comfy couch, a nice armchair, a small desk to…I don’t know, write letters at or something. Kitchen is over there…”

The couch looked as if it had been there even before the cabin was built, the armchair wasn’t any newer and the little desk looked like it would immediately fall apart the moment he put his laptop on it. 

Merlin already went on. “This is the kitchen. And yes,” he grinned when he saw Arthur’s face, “it does have a gas stove, you don’t have to fire it up with wood. That was one thing we could make Doc Mel change in the past years, the gas tank is behind the house.”

That sounded…dangerous?

“Fridge, microwave, sturdy sink…” Merlin patted it.

The fridge seemed to be fairly new and the microwave looked out of place. Therefore, the sink was probably an old companion of the couch, the cabin built around both of them. 

Merlin already went over to another room and opened the door. “Bedroom. The new mattress will be here next week and if we manage to get the heating done and clean the place a bit, you can move in.”

At least they wouldn’t let him sleep on a mattress where the old doctor had slept on for years, that was reassuring. 

“Over time, you can put up new wallpaper and with a bit of paint the place is as good as new.”

The only way to get this place as good as new was to burn it down and rebuild it, Arthur thought, but he didn’t say anything. 

Merlin seemed to notice the way he looked. “Trust me, it will look better in daylight and when the place is heated. If you don’t know how to keep a fire alive, we can give you fireplace 101 lessons.” He grinned. 

Of course he didn’t know that, he had always just switched on the heating when it was too cold, but usually it didn’t even get cold enough where he was from. 

“Where’s the TV set?” He asked, noticing the absence of it. 

“Doc Mel wasn’t big on watching TV.” Merlin shrugged. “But maybe someone has an old one sitting in a storage room. I’m sure they’ll let you have it.”

Arthur’s gaze fell on an old telephone. “WiFi?”

“As you might have noticed, it’s not very reliable up here.”

“So Gwen didn’t just yank my chain when she said it depends on the weather?”

Merlin laughed. “Probably not on the weather, but…yeah, it’s safer to still have a landline.”

“And this phone is from before the last world war?”

“Something like that. But it’s still working.”

Yup, he had definitely also travelled in time when he came here. He would have to get used to it. The one thing he couldn’t do was go back to London with his tail between his legs, admitting that he had given up. He was a Pendragon and Pendragons weren’t quitters. It wouldn’t be easy, though. 

“One more thing…this place is so far outside…how do I get to the hospital and back?” There seemed to be a reason for that comfy couch in the clinic and Arthur assumed he would be sleeping there a lot.

Merlin nodded. “Percy is already taking care of Doc Mel’s car.”

Arthur blinked. He had no idea who Percy was and what he was doing with the former doctor’s car.

“He said it’s sturdy and still has some milage in it, so you can use it until you decide to get a new one.”

That made it clear. He would have to use whatever car that was. As a student, he had owned a car – or rather father had owned it, but had given it to him – but later, he didn’t have use for a car. They cost money, they needed parking space and the hospital he had been working in was a lot easier to reach by public transport. Or the occasional taxi when he was late. He nodded. “Alright.” When he noticed that Merlin seemed to be waiting for something, he added “Thank you.”

Merlin looked at him for a while. “It’s not what you had imagined, is it?”

Should he tell him about it? But no, they didn’t really know each other and the people’s reactions had shown him already that if you told one thing to someone, everyone else knew. “It sure is different.” He put on a brave smile. 

Nodding, Merlin reached over and squeezed his shoulder through the thick jacket. “You will get used to it. And if you need to talk, you know where to find me.”


	11. Chapter 11

Laying in his bed above the pub, hearing the murmurs and sometimes laughter drifting up to the second floor, Arthur stared at the ceiling. What was he doing here? This new job turned out to be a survival trip. He had to admit that the people of Ealdor had been nothing but welcoming. In their own, rough, odd kind of way and yes, maybe he had been a bit rude and arrogant. But wasn’t that the way it was? Once you were done with all your education and finally were allowed to carry that wonderful title in front of your name, you wanted to change the world. Maybe he was here to change a bit of Ealdor’s world? He still didn’t see anything wrong in throwing out the chatterers and with a bit of luck, things would have calmed down and the people who really needed help would return and once he had found a rhythm in what he was doing, he might have some minutes left to chat with them. 

Gwen was right, they had a right to get to know him. He was the new one and his attitude of ‘everything here is bad and only I know how to do it right’ wouldn’t get him far. He just wasn’t used to doing things the slow way. In the A&E, you had to decide what to do immediately. You couldn’t sit down and listen to the family history of broken bones when a car crash victim was brought in. 

Sighing, he turned to the other side. Arthur knew that he wasn’t the most patient man, he didn’t know if he even had it in him to listen to family histories at all. If he wanted to not be totally miserable here, he needed to try, though. 

And this afternoon at Gwen’s had been fun. Arthur wasn’t sure if he could ever touch anything pear ever again, but it was interesting to see that she worked with the same determination she was showing in the hospital. He could imagine very well how she had kept everything afloat when the old doctor was gone and saw why people turned to her and trusted her. Just the way he trusted her knowing what to do with all the fruit. 

He still wondered how Merlin had managed to find the exact right time to show up to have cake without having to do any of the work. Arthur grinned. Clever timing. 

Then he had taken him to the cabin. His heart had been sinking when he saw it, but as with the hospital, everything was ancient and after ‘they’, whoever they were, were done, it was probably at least functioning. Arthur knew he didn’t have any interior decorating skill, but Gwen’s house wasn’t much bigger and it had been light and nice and had a freshly scrubbed feeling to it that made you want to take your shoes off at the door and call her ‘Ma’am’. He knew he was relying on her way too much, but maybe, after a few weeks, she would help him making Doc Mel’s place into his? 

‘You know where to find me’. This echoed in his mind over and over again. Merlin had seen that he wasn’t too happy and maybe he had taken him to the cabin to spare the others to see his shocked face when they presented him with the place. Merlin seemed to understand that the world outside of Ealdor was totally different and that he came from that world and would need time to adjust. That he had reached over and squeezed his shoulder had been the most comforting thing anyone had ever done for him. 

But…he did not know where to find Merlin. Merlin always just seemed to show up when he was needed. How did he do that? Maybe he should ask Mithy how to get a hold of Merlin? Just in case? Then again, why would he need to get a hold of Merlin? Merlin was friendly, nothing more. 

Curling up a bit harder, Arthur tried to block out the sounds coming from the pub and eventually fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The next days were filled with filing and sorting and once in a while, someone came in to get a prescription filled or who carefully addressed some kind of issue they had. There were no emergencies and finally, they had the filing system updated enough for the computer system to come in. 

“Do you know anything about computers?” Gwen put another file on top of the stack she had produced. 

Arthur threw her a look. “I hope the system comes with proper instructions.”

“We could ask Merlin?” 

Frowning, Arthur caught himself blinking. “Merlin?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t he…the local pilot?”

“And the local handyman and the local painter and the local…”

Arthur laughed. “What would he understand of computer systems and networks?”

Gwen grinned. “Don’t underestimate him. That he can do all those things doesn’t mean he doesn’t know a thing or two about computers. Everybody calls him when they get a new one.”

“Not that there are many of them in Ealdor.”

Gwen threw him a long-suffering look. “WiFi might not be the greatest, but people do have computers, trust me.”

Okay, maybe there was hope after all. 

In the late afternoon, the door to the hospital flew open. “Delivery for a Doctor A. Pendragon!”

It was clearly Merlin’s voice and Arthur jumped up a bit more enthusiastically than he probably should have. “Merlin?”

“That’s me.” Merlin had hauled a couple of boxes in and now held a clipboard out to him. “You sign here, here and here.”

“What am I signing?” Arthur grinned as he did so. 

Merlin checked the paper. “Oh, we’ll just be delivering an additional washing machine and a Mariachi band next week.” He said without blinking an eye. “Do you want them here or should we bring them to the house?”

“Here,” Arthur said and nodded. “We need entertainment for the patients.”

Then they burst out chuckling. 

Gwen just looked from one to the other and shook her head, a small smile playing around her lips. “When you’re done with this…” She gestured between them waving her index finger, “We could need a hand or two setting this up.”

Together, they hauled the last boxes in.

“What’s that?” Arthur frowned. A computer system with three computers and all the other hardware sure didn’t need all those boxes. And some of them were pretty light, too.

“Oh, just some of the things from your list.” Merlin beamed when they finally had everything inside and pulled his coat off his shoulders. The beanie he was wearing was still firmly placed on his head. 

“From the list?” Arthur echoed. He didn’t understand. 

Merlin turned from where he was hanging up his coat. “You might not have won the popularity prize with some of the people who usually hung out here because they don’t have anything better to do, but Gaius listened. He puts the people of Ealdor above anything else and if you need supplies to take care of them, he will do anything he can to get them.”

Arthur just stared. He didn’t have any hopes that he would see any of this for a long time and had made plans to contact some of his old co-workers and fellow students and had even checked into ‘go fund me’. For a moment, he had even considered calling Morgana. And now, there were boxes with plasters and bandages, syringes and disinfectant, sterile rubber gloves and other things and Arthur felt like a kid on Christmas Day. 

Gwen almost squealed when she saw the supplies. “I’m going to unpack all this and put it in the storage room right away.”

Putting his hands on his hips, Merlin looked at the remaining boxes, before he looked up at Arthur. “Then it’s up to us to put this up.”

There were boxes and packing material everywhere and Arthur had long lost the thrive to put all this up and have a running computer system that very day, but Merlin seemed to have set his mind on making all of this work before they left. 

“Gwen, it’s late.” It had gotten dark a while ago and that totally messed with Arthur’s inner clock. How could it be dark at 4 in the afternoon? But he was right, it was already past 6. “Why don’t you go home?” He suggested. She was done sorting in the supplies a while ago and now, just like him, had been more in the way watching Merlin work. 

She threw him a thankful look. “I thought I could help, but you’re right, I don’t know what he’s doing.” She slightly jerked her head in Merlin’s direction. “And I don’t need to watch either. If you don’t need me anymore…”

“Enjoy your evening.” 

Arthur looked after her as she quickly gathered her things and dashed out. “She can’t say no, can she?” He said more to himself than anyone else. 

Merlin grinned. “Nah, that’s one reason why people rely on her so much. Always going the extra mile.”

“I’m quite lucky to have her here or else I would be lost.” Arthur admitted. 

“And she’s a great cook and funny and has wonderful ideas to help others….” Merlin’s grin got impossibly wider. “So…you and Gwen?”

“Wha…?” Arthur stared at Merlin in horror. “No!”

“Because you would never start something with a co-worker?” Merlin teased.

Shaking his head, Arthur tried to stay cool as he leaned against the doorframe. “That’s not it.”

Merlin looked at him with a very serious expression, just waiting. 

“It’s just…” Arthur shrugged. Alright, this was a small town and what he said now could make him or break him and he feared it would be the later. “She’s really nice and I sure would ask her out…if I were into women.” Carefully, he tried to hold Merlin’s gaze and noticed the exact moment that a twinkle appeared in his eyes and a radiant smile came back to his face. 

“Cool.”

“Cool?”

“Yeah, cool.”

“So…you’re okay with that?”

Merlin laughed. “Definitely.”

Arthur let out a breath he hadn’t even been aware of holding.


	13. Chapter 13

“So…how come that you seem to be the Jack-of-all-trades in this town?” 

When Merlin finally had declared that he was done for the night and that they could start a test-run for the new filing system the next morning, his stomach had grumbled audibly. Arthur, who would be going to the pub anyways, grinned and immediately offered to buy him dinner at Mithy’s. There was no other place to go anyway. 

To his utter delight, Merlin accepted and now they were seated in a corner booth, having a beer after a long day’s work and enjoying Mithy’s cooking. 

Merlin grinned around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. “Why do you think I am?”

“What?”

“A Jack-of-all-trades?”

“Oh well…first, you are a pilot and pick me up from the airport. Then, you deliver packages…”

Merlin chuckled. “I figured, when I fly them in, I could as well hand-deliver them.”

“You seem to be involved in getting the house ready and then you turn out to be a computer expert, too.” Arthur wondered what else Merlin had up his sleeve. 

Taking a sip of his beer, Merlin shrugged. “When you’re in a community as small as this one, you just need to have a very wide-spread skill set.”

“But…IT? Here?” That Merlin was a pilot around here and brought the ordered things from where they were collected for Ealdor did make sense. That he had the knowledge to not only fix the occasional computer issue but also set up their entire system…that wasn’t a skill that you usually needed in a remote town like this. 

Merlin shrugged again. “Seems like you think I spent my entire life around here.”

“Didn’t everyone?” It was easy to assume that people who had grown up here would either flee the moment they were old enough or just stay. 

Now Merlin laughed. “How do you think Gwen became a registered nurse?”

“I…I don’t know…distance learning?” He suggested. 

“No.” Smiling, Merlin leaned back and shook his head slightly. “We all left at some point to get our education, work on degrees, see what life outside of Ealdor looks like.”

“And…you came back?” Arthur hadn’t meant for it to sound so disbelieving, but he had a hard time imagining that people would willingly come back to the wilderness.

Merlin’s smile turned soft. “Big city life isn’t everybody’s thing.”


	14. Chapter 14

Arthur stretched and smiled when he woke up. They had spent quite some time over their dinner and a few beers and even though Merlin was still a mystery as he hadn’t elaborated on that one remark, he’d had a great time. Somehow, he wanted to know Merlin’s secret. Then again, he hadn’t revealed everything about himself either, so that was okay. That Merlin was so relaxed with him preferring men, relaxed himself, too. Now he didn’t have to guard his secret so tightly anymore and had Merlin to talk to. 

And he would see him again this morning as they wanted to test the computer system, so they could finally start filing all the patients’ data. 

With a spring in his step, he jumped down the stairs into the pub. He still hadn’t gotten used to being in the empty pub on his own, it was just weird that the room was so quiet. It was too quiet. Usually, he heard Mithy rummaging around in the kitchen, making his breakfast. 

“Good morning!”

There was no answer, that was odd. 

When he neared the counter, he found a note.

_Good morning, Arthur,  
sorry, can’t be here now, have to deal with a few things.   
Just go into the kitchen and make yourself breakfast.   
I put out everything you might need.  
Mithy  
P.S.: Coffee’s in the thermos_

Arthur stared at the note. It wasn’t so much the fact that he had to make his own breakfast and it wouldn’t be half as good as when she made it. That she just trusted him with her kitchen…the entire place like that took his breath away and made shivers run down his spine. He hadn’t come here ages ago, he was still a stranger and yet she didn’t blink an eye leaving her livelihood in his hands. That she obviously didn’t trust him with her beloved coffee maker made him chuckle, though. 

For a moment, he pondered just leaving without breakfast. He had done that all the time back home, but his stomach clearly told him that it had gotten used to having a decent breakfast in the time they were here, so he carefully rounded the counter and stepped into the kitchen. 

Mithy had thought of everything. She had even put the right pan next to the ingredients, written a little instruction of what NOT to do with the toaster and stuck a note to the sink ‘Dishes love being put into the dish washer!’ with a smiley face. 

Alright, she knew what she wanted and Arthur knew what she wanted him to do. It couldn’t be so difficult to make some scrambled eggs and bacon and toast, right?

After a while, Arthur had to admit that it had been too long ago since he last cooked anything. There were small pieces off eggshell in his eggs, he had put too much oil into the pan and the eggs tasted greasy and despite well-meant instructions on the ancient and intimidating toaster, he had managed to burn his toast. Nothing tasted even remotely like when Mithy made it for him, but Arthur still ate everything he made if only to hide the evidence of his failure. 

Just as he put the dishes into the dish washer, the door to the kitchen opened and Mithy came in, huge bags in her hands. “Good morning, Arthur!”

“Morning, Mithy. Here, let me help you with this.” He hauled the bags onto the counter. “Is there more in your truck?”

After a few runs, they had all the bags in the kitchen and Arthur checked his watch. “Would love to help you unpack, but I have to run.”

As he was already in the door, Mithy called. “Hey, Arthur?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for not burning my place down.”

Laughing, he bowed deeply. “It was the least I could do, but honestly? Between you and me? You’re definitely the better cook.”


	15. Chapter 15

They had to improvise with the incoming patients that day as Merlin tested out the computer system and Arthur just examined and talked to the newcomers where they had space for two beds for overnight patients. 

“And you’re taking these since when?”

“Oh,” the old lady smiled sympathetically, “since Doc Mel prescribed them.”

Hmm, yes, that wasn’t exactly what he wanted to know as it was a given. He leafed through the file. “In…1986.” Arthur tried not to show his feelings. It was true, there were medicaments that hadn’t changed since then, but most of them had developed to be more agreeable or just to help a lot better. 

“That might be.” 

He looked up. “Mrs. Hellman,” what a nice name… “I would like to try something new. Merlin will bring you new pills from Calgary and we try them out, alright?”

“Helen, I’m Helen.”

He smiled reassuringly at her. “Helen. These new pills are a lot better for your stomach, we might not need the additional remedy for your stomach aches anymore.”

“But Doc Mel said…”

He had heard this so often lately that he was about to scream. Taking a deep breath while still trying to keep the smile on his face, Arthur scribbled something on the files. “I know. And he was right. In 1986.” Damn, he hadn’t even been born back then! “You know things in medicine develop drastically sometimes, for the better.”

“You think the new pills will make me feel better?”

“That’s what I want you to try out.” He nodded. “And if they don’t, we can still switch back to what you’ve been taking for all those years. Can we agree on that?”

Helen looked at him for a long time. “Alright.”

As he got up to see Helen to the door, he shivered. It had never been overly warm in the hospital but today it was especially cold. He needed to talk to Gwen about the heating. 

“You take care of yourself, Helen.”

The old lady, barely reaching Arthur’s chest, pulled a thick knitted hat on her head. “And you, too. Wear a sweater, it’s getting cold.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine, but thank you.”

The look she threw him told him that she was not convinced. 

“She’s right, you know?” Gwen, who had overheard the conversation, nodded.

“About what? That she’s taking the pills for way too long?”

“That you need to dress for the climate. What sense does a doctor make when he becomes a patient? And doctors usually make the worst patients, I don’t want to have to deal with that again.”

Arthur looked around. “But I already have the thick coat.” Which was still a loan from Merlin. “Mine should come in soon.”

“No, Doc, I mean your shoes and your thin slacks and the shirt and…the tie.”

“What does the tie have to do with the weather?”

“Probably not much with the weather conditions. It just builds a barrier between you and everyone else here. A lot of people still think you’re an awful snob, wearing your shirts and fine leather shoes.”

“And a tie?”

“And a tie.” She nodded. 

Arthur was confused. “So this isn’t even about the weather?”

Gwen laughed. “Oh, it is. In your clothes, you’ll freeze your skinny arse off in no time once the snow sets in. And it will any day now.”

Blinking, Arthur looked outside. It was cold, yes, but the sky was blue. 

Merlin appeared from his office. “I got your internet connection working. If you two have the time, I’d like to give you a run-through, so you can file your things and maybe we have time for some shopping for the doc, eh?”


	16. Chapter 16

Fuck, it was cold! 

The day before, Arthur had left the hospital very late. First, they had tried to file things and even though they had a ton of work ahead of them, things worked the way they should and he was certain that with a couple of weekends of filing, they should be done and could work properly. 

Then they had done some serious shopping on websites Arthur didn’t even know existed. He never had a need for special outdoor boots and anything that wasn’t designer jeans hadn’t found its way into his closet before. 

“Flannel shirts….are you kidding me?” He had looked from Gwen to Merlin and back.

Merlin looked at the plaid one he was wearing. “What’s wrong with them?”

“I’ll look like a lumberjack!”

Gwen playfully hit his upper arm. “Does Merlin look like a lumberjack? No, and so won’t you.”

“I can’t order all this stuff, I’ll look like…” The cliché gay, he wanted to say. 

“Like you belong here.” Gwen nodded. “Maybe, if you show people that you are at least trying…”

Arthur looked at the long list in the shopping cart. “You are taking me on.”

“Trust me, you need this to survive winter. Next time, we’ll get you more sweaters.”

At some point, Arthur just gave in and let them order the things. He could still pay it off in parts, couldn’t he?

When he stepped out of the pub in the morning, there was snow on the ground. Arthur blinked. How could Gwen forecast the weather to precisely? And it wasn’t the snow he was used to. When it snowed in London – if at all – it was wet and thawing before it even reached the ground and only left a grey sludge on the sidewalks. This here was white and fluffy and…a foot high. 

Zipping up his coat, for the first time, Arthur pulled the hood up, took a deep breath and crossed the road. 

By the time he reached the hospital, his shoes and socks were wet and the carefully chosen pair of jeans stuck to his legs up to the knees. 

“Morning, Doc.” Gwen greeted him from behind the counter, grinning. 

Stomping off the snow and hanging up his jacket, Arthur rubbed his hands together. “How did you know?”

“How did I know what?” She looked way too innocent.

“That it would snow! How did you know that?”

“It was about time.”

“Huh?”

“Snow was long overdue.”

Arthur stared at her. “Overdue? It’s fucking October!”

“Almost November and yes, it was overdue.”

“How can it snow in October?”

“This late? Climate change, I suppose.” She shrugged. 

“But…” That wasn’t what he meant at all.

“You better get out of these wet clothes. It’s good that we ordered you appropriate stuff.”

Arthur sighed. By now he knew where old Doc Mel’s clothes were stacked and went to get some too-wide pants and a scrub that he could have used as a tent. Somewhere in the corner, he found a long-sleeved t-shirt that he could pull on under it. Only his feet were an issue now. Sadly looking at his shoes that he had bought at a high-end store in London, he knew they were gonners. 

“Here,” Gwen poked her head in without even knocking and held a pair of knitted socks out to him. 

“What…where do they come from now?”

Gwen giggled. “Helen just brought them in for ‘the nice young doctor’, so ‘he won’t freeze his feet off this winter’. Looks like you have a fan.”

And so it came that Arthur wandered around the hospital on thick knitted socks all day and had toasty feet.


	17. Chapter 17

Once again, Merlin came in close to closing time.

“Delivery for a…Doctor A. Pendragon?” He laughed already. 

Arthur chuckled. “That would be me, where do I sign?”

“Here, here and here.” Merlin held the clipboard out to him.

“By the way…this doesn’t look like the washing machine and the Mariachi Band that I was promised.” Arthur grinned. 

Merlin made a face. “So sorry, they had a better offer and since there’s a washing machine at the house, we figured we hold this one until yours breaks.”

They both laughed. 

Arthur looked at the packages. “Where does this come from all of a sudden?”

“Calgary.” Merlin just said. 

“You…you flew out to Calgary today?”

“Yup.”

“In this weather?”

Merlin blinked. “What’s wrong with the weather? It was a clear day, snow was blinding as expected, but you should have seen the scenery.”

“You…you fly in this weather?”

Looking at him as if he didn’t understand the issue, Merlin shrugged. “It was a wonderful day for flying and how else would we get our stuff here?”

Gwen grinned and took the little package with the ordered medicaments and stored them away to deliver them the next morning. 

“So,” Merlin grinned, “Are you going to model the stuff for us now or what?”

Arthur blinked. “Model?”

Gwen came around the corner again. “He’s right. We helped you pick it, you have to show us what you look like in it.”

“You will see that over the next weeks anyway?”

“We need to see that now.” Gwen stood next to Merlin and they both crossed their arms in front of their chests and looked expectantly at him. 

“Ganging up on me…” Arthur muttered as he took the first two packages and went to the room with the couch. 

“Sexy socks, Doc,” Merlin called after him.

Arthur didn’t know if this would ever be the world he felt comfortable in, but he had to admit that the jumpers were very warm and his new jacket felt great. The boots fit perfectly and he had to admit that Gwen and Merlin had picked colours for him that suited him. 

After an initial shyness, he strutted down the corridor towards where Gwen and Merlin were waiting for him to show the next outfit and did a dramatic turn in front of them, which triggered giggle fit after giggle fit as thick winter boots and flannel shirts really weren’t anything to show off like high fashion. 

“That’s all,” he announced after a while. 

“What? Didn’t we order…” Gwen looked at Merlin and Merlin nodded. 

“We did.” He looked expectantly at Arthur. 

Arthur frowned. “I am NOT going to model the long-johns for you!”

“Aw, too bad.” Merlin muttered. 

“But they were the highlight!” Gwen complained, grinning widely. 

Looking from one to the other, Arthur sighed. “Let’s lock this place up and go have a drink. I’ll buy.” He had spent so much money on clothes he obviously needed that the few dollars for buying them drinks wouldn’t really matter.


	18. Chapter 18

A very tall man entered the hospital just as Arthur came from his office with a file folder in his hand, unable to decipher Doc Mel’s handwriting. They had been inputting data for days with only the regulars coming for minor things, so Arthur was almost happy to see a new patient. 

“G’day.” The man said and looked around uncomfortably. 

“Percy!” Gwen smiled. “What brings you here?”

“I err…”

“I’m Doctor Pendragon,” Arthur introduced himself. “What can I do for you?”

“Been looking for you.”

Arthur blinked. He didn’t even know the man and he couldn’t remember if he had heard the name before. “Yes?”

“Fixed your car.”

“My…car?” I don’t have a car, Arthur wanted to say, but then remembered that Merlin had talked about a car that he could use. “Oh!”

“Was quite a bit of work.” 

Since the man didn’t move, Arthur nodded. “And…where is it? Can I pick it up?”

A wide smile showed on the man’s face and he held out a key. “Right outside. Wanna see?”

“Sure, let me get my boots first.” It had turned out that the thick boots he had bought for outside were way too warm to wear in the hospital, so he had brought his runners – which he didn’t need here anyways to work out – and switched the moment he came in. 

When he showed up again, in his coat and warm boots, he tried to peek around Percy. “Can we…go…now?”

“Oh…’course.” Percy turned, opened the door and Arthur followed. 

He hadn’t expected much, but what he saw took his breath away. This wasn’t a car, this was…Arthur had thought that it was probably a truck like most of the people here drove, but it was an old-fashioned station wagon that was probably older than he was – like a lot of things around here.

“Isn’t she a beauty?”

“Err…” No, not really, but Arthur didn’t mention that. 

“There’s only one key. The doc must have lost the other one, so you better take good care of this one.”

For a moment, Arthur tried to press a button on a key fob, but…there was no such thing. It was just a plain old key and it dawned on him that he wouldn’t be able to open the car like that. Oy. He went to the driver door and opened it. 

Percy sprang into action in a way Arthur hadn’t thought possible. He reached into the car and opened the hood, obviously expecting Arthur to look at the insides. 

Arthur had no idea about what he was looking at. A motor…and everything that a car needed, he hoped?

Percy went into lengthy explanations about what had been wrong and what he fixed and how he used parts that were even better than the ones he could have used. Throwing the tall man a look and trying not to show his surprise that he could actually talk in full sentences, Arthur hoped he nodded and ‘mhmm’-ed at the correct places. 

“So, Doc…wanna give her a spin?”

Arthur had had no intention of doing a test-drive now. There was snow on the road, he didn’t know the car and he generally didn’t get much practice driving in the past years. Percy looked at him so expectantly that he couldn’t say no, though. “Sure.”

Getting in, he tried to get familiar with the dashboard and had to fumble to move the seat a bit forward. Percy was tall! And he explained tons of things that Arthur immediately forgot again. He turned the key.

“Purrs like a kittycat.” Percy looked proud.

“Where are we going to?” Carefully, Arthur pulled away from the curb.

“This direction.” Percy pointed.

Very slowly, Arthur maneuvered the vehicle that felt more like a ship than a car, down the road. 

Percy chuckled. 

“What?”

“You’re driving like an old lady, doc.”

Arthur took a deep breath. “Haven’t been driving in a while. And certainly nothing like this ever before, so…better be careful.”

Percy still looked very amused. He directed Arthur left and right and all of a sudden nodded. “We’re here.”

“Where?” Arthur peeked outside. 

“My garage.”

“Oh!”

“What?”

“You made me do a test-drive, so I could take you home?” Arthur grinned.

“Did you really think I’d walk all the way back?”

They laughed for a moment before Arthur looked at the building again. “I thought…”

“What?”

“Well, the way Merlin made it sound, I thought you were just someone who likes to fix up cars on the weekend. I wasn’t aware that you’re the local mechanic.” Arthur made an apologetic face. 

Percy chuckled. “No worries, doc. It’s not just a passion, it’s my job.”

“Turning your passion into a job sounds like a very clever thing to do.”

“Isn’t that what everybody does?” Percy was already half out the door when he turned to look at him. 

Arthur shrugged. “When they’re really lucky, I suppose.”

Percy patted the roof of the car. “Take good care of her, doc. And if there’s a problem, just call.”

“Thank you. And…how much do I owe you?”

Making a dismissive gesture with his hand, Percy closed the door and walked back to his garage.


	19. Chapter 19

With beating heart, Arthur managed to get the car back to the hospital with only one little detour when he took a left turn instead of a right one. He should have used his free time before the snow to go on walks and get to know the town a bit better. He had basically just walked from the pub to the hospital and back and it showed. 

When he parked, he wasn’t convinced that this car and him would ever be best friends, but it was better than nothing and he would be able to move out of the pub the moment Merlin signaled that the house was ready. That would be quite the change. In the few days he was here, he had gotten used to Mithy’s friendly face and the murmurs from the pub coming up to his room when he was trying to get some sleep. It would be very quiet once he moved into the cabin. 

The next couple of days were filled with filing, the occasional patient and more snow. Usually, Arthur left the hospital very late. He could relax a bit once they had switched all their files to the computer system. It was great that Gwen was a fast learner. Of course she had worked with systems like that while she became a registered nurse, but that was a few years ago and those systems changed quickly. 

Sometimes, Arthur lost himself reading a file, wondering how long it had been since Doc Mel had enhanced his skills. It was obvious that he was good at diagnosing, probably based on his habit of listening to meaningless stories that somehow built an entire picture of illnesses that ran in the family and such. But the methods he used and the medication he had prescribed were clearly outdated. He made notes to switch patients over to new medicaments should they come in again or to suggest another form of therapy. 

Reading through those files – he got better in deciphering Doc Mel’s handwriting – felt like getting to know the patients. He had no idea what they looked like, but they still gave him a lot of knowledge about them. 

Some days, someone brought over lunch from the pub with a “Mithy said she made too much.” and when Arthur left the building to bring back the dishes as he needed a little walk to digest all the good food, he saw someone doing something at the car. 

“Hey!” He set down the box he was holding. “Hey, what are you doing?”

A little head with a giant knitted beanie appeared from the other side. He had seen this face before.

“Doc!” Mordred beamed. 

Still suspicious, Arthur neared the car. “Mordred, what are you doing?”

“It looked like your car is snowed in. What if you need to go to someone? Petey and I thought, we should shovel it free and get the snow off of the windows.” 

Arthur blinked. He had grown up in an environment where nobody would do this for someone else unless they got paid for it. If someone was sneaking around your car, they were probably trying to steal it. And this kid…Arthur swallowed. He had done him wrong. 

“That’s…very kind of you, Mordred.” Since the old dog had trotted over to him and sniffed at the leg of his trousers, he leaned down to pat him. “And you, too, Petey.”

“It’s the least we can do after you helped Petey with his leg.” 

“Is he alright again?” The dog seemed to be okay.

“As good as new.” Mordred nodded. “I’ll just finish this and then I’ll go get a book from the library.”

“Listen, Mordred. Why don’t you go inside to warm up when you’re done? I’m sure Gwen will make you a tea if I’m not back already. And thank you very much for taking care of the car.”

Mordred beamed and went back to his task while Petey sniffed at the box with the empty dishes very interested and followed Arthur down the road before Mordred called him back. 

Arthur was baffled. He wasn’t used to things like this. Where he came from, everybody stayed to themselves and were responsible only for their own actions. That this kid had assumed there was a problem and just started to do something about it, only because he had put a bandage on his dog – whose foot would have healed without the bandage – that was overwhelming. 

When he came back to the hospital, Mordred was gone.

“Did he come in here?”

Gwen looked up. “Mordred? Yes. He asked to use the bathroom.”

“Did you…did you see what he did?”

She smiled. “We’re taking good care of each other around here.”

Arthur knew he still had a lot to learn. 

“I made him a tea and gave him one of the sandwiches we put in the fridge.”

He nodded. “What’s his story?”

“His story?”

“He seems to be awfully attached to that old dog. Not that I don’t understand that people love their pets, but…”

Gwen’s face grew serious. “Petey was his father’s dog.”

Arthur just listened. 

“Greg was killed in a hunting accident about two years back. The dog is the only thing Mordred still has of his.”

Damn, that was a sad story. 

“What happened?”

“The Mounties said he lost his footing and fell down a slope. It took days before they found him.”

Wow. That was stuff out of movies or adventure books. Nothing that ever had to do with Arthur’s daily life before. 

“So, Mordred’s all alone now?” 

“No, he has his mother, but she’s busy working all day and has a difficult time dealing. So basically, he’s on his own.”

For a tragic background like that, Mordred had been in good spirits when he met him. Either he was coping a lot better than his mother or he was suppressing his feelings. Arthur decided to keep an eye on him.


	20. Chapter 20

It was another clear and cold day when Arthur stepped out of the pub with another box. How could he have accumulated so many things in the short time he was here?

“Is that the last one?” Merlin looked at him expectantly, took the box out of his hand and put it in the back of his truck. 

“Yes, I think so.”

Mithy came out and watched. “You’re just leaving me like this…who am I going to make breakfast for from now on?”

Arthur laughed. “I’m very grateful for all the delicious breakfasts and other meals that you made for me and I am sure that I will come over for lunch or dinner once in a while. You’ve seen my cooking skills…” 

“I’m counting on it.” Mithy grinned. She had the only pub in town, so Arthur would have to come back if he didn’t want to cook for himself. 

“Ready?” 

Nodding, Arthur climbed into the truck. Today, he would be moving into the cabin. He had no idea what to expect now, Merlin didn’t let him go there since his first visit, so he’d had nightmares of broken water pipes and non-functioning electricity that they didn’t want him to see. 

“You’re quiet today.” Merlin threw him a sideways smile. 

“Exciting times.” Was all that Arthur could answer. From today on, he would not have to trudge through the pub with all eyes following him while he was climbing the stairs. It would be nicely quiet without the murmur and music from below or the occasional laughter when he was just about to fall asleep. Even though the cabin wasn’t huge, he would have more space than in his single room. He would also have to learn how to make a fire and keep it going without killing someone – mainly himself - and the days of freshly cooked meals were over as well. 

Merlin pulled up at the cabin and in bright daylight, it didn’t look as old and creepy as Arthur remembered it. It looked like a sturdy little house and the smoke coming from the chimney made it seem welcoming.

“You were here already?” It was still early, when did Merlin ever sleep?

“Nah, not me.” Merlin climbed out of the truck and started to unload Arthur’s things onto the porch. 

“But…” The ‘who?’ explained itself when the door of the cabin was opened and Gwen and Percy stepped out. 

“Good morning!” Gwen beamed widely.

Arthur looked at them. “What are you doing here this early in the morning?”

“Thought we’d warm the place up for you, doc.” Percy nodded. 

“That’s…very kind of you, thank you.”

Gwen stepped aside and made an inviting gesture towards the door. “Aren’t you curious about what we’ve done?”

Had he half-dreaded this moment still the night before, he was curious now. “You? You were involved in this, too? Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Little…” Gwen grinned.

Arthur stomped the snow off his boots and stepped inside. This…was this still the place Merlin had shown him? The old couch was still there, but it had a colourful crocheted blanket over its back and there were matching pillows in the armchair. Not really what Arthur would have picked, but the things made the room look friendlier already. The broken window pane he had seen last time had been replaced and everything was freshly cleaned. He could still smell the lemony scent of the cleaning agent. 

A fire was cackling in the fireplace and the fragile-looking little desk seemed to be repaired and had gotten a new coat of paint. The shabby rug that had been all dusty and dirty was clean and the curtains were freshly laundered. 

Arthur looked around as if he hadn’t seen the place before. 

“We put a new wallpaper up in your bedroom, doc.” Percy explained. “And painted the kitchen and the pantry. Gwen told us which shades of paint to use.”

Gwen chuckled. “If I let you decide this, the doc might have dark blue walls or worse…plaid!” She took over. “We filled the pantry with the things that you might need to start here. You might want to take your shopping list to the trading post, so they can get you everything you need for winter.”

“There should be enough wood in the shed for you to not freeze to death, too.” Merlin nodded. 

When Percy noticed the look on his face, he added. “Made you a plan of what to do with the fire.”

“There isn’t any other source of heating here?” Arthur asked, a bit unsure about the whole open-fire-in-the-house thing. 

“There are electrical radiators in the bedroom and an additional one here that you can take to the kitchen and back. But the fireplace is your best option, sometimes electricity goes out.”

Arthur looked from one to the other and didn’t know what to say. He just wasn’t used to things that were common here and he felt like an idiot for not knowing how to keep a fire burning. Open fires in an apartment complex in London were frowned upon, though, so he never had the need. The rest of the place looked great compared to what he had seen before. 

Gwen’s shoulders fell. “You don’t like it…”

“We can repaint it in a colour you like!” Percy assured him. 

“No,” Arthur shook his head. “It just looks so different from when I’ve seen it last time. You put so much hard work into this and I appreciate it.”

“But?” Merlin looked at him. 

Taking a deep breath, Arthur managed a smile. “I think I’ll have to learn how to survive out here in the wilderness.”

“Oh,” Percy grinned. “Don’t worry about that. We already made a schedule who has to check on you each day.”

Gwen nudged him with her elbow. “Percy!”

Merlin just laughed. “We finally have a doctor here, we can’t risk him getting lost in the woods or something.”

Even though Arthur still felt like an outsider, it was comforting that they knew he was a city person and never had to handle a fireplace or stock up for winter and offered their help. The smile on his face was genuine now. “Thank you.”


	21. Chapter 21

“How was the first night in your own place?” Gwen greeted him with a wide smile the next morning. 

Arthur just threw her a look. 

“That good?” She giggled. 

He had unpacked and looked at things for a while and when he tried to decide what to do next, Merlin had come back to start the ‘Doctor-watch’. He had brought dinner from Mithy’s and after an intense lecture on firewood – Arthur had forgotten most of it right away – they had eaten dinner together and Merlin had entertained him with stories about the area and the people. 

It had been late when Merlin left and then Arthur was on his own. He was more worn out than tired, so he decided to go to bed. Even though they had done everything to get the house warm, it was quite noticeable that nobody had lived in it for a while, so he had to bundle up to get warm under the covers. 

Each time he had fallen asleep, there was a new noise that he couldn’t place, so he spent a big part of the night, lying in bed, listening into the dark with beating heart. And boy, was it dark out here! Back home, there was always light. The streetlamps, the billboards, the neighbours who came and went at all times, they all gave off enough light so you had to close the blinds if you wanted a little bit of darkness to sleep. At the pub, he constantly saw the light coming from underneath his door as long as there were people downstairs. Here, it was dark. Dark-dark. Well, probably not dark-dark when the moon shone onto the freshly fallen snow. That was surprisingly lighter than he had expected. But still. There were no neighbours and no streetlamps and no nothing. 

Early in the morning, he was just about to get dressed, Merlin showed up again and under his supervision, Arthur had made his first fire in the fireplace and listened to the instructions on how to handle it so that it would still be a bit warm in the house when he came back. 

Yawning, Arthur hoped, Merlin was right. 

“Do we have many patients already?”

Gwen shook her head. “There are just some emails that you might want to look at.”

Suspecting that Gwen had postponed appointments, Arthur poured himself a cup of coffee and went to his office. 

It was a quiet morning and when he went to refill his mug, there was a young man standing in the entrance, clutching some twigs. 

“Hi! Can I help you?”

The man, probably a bit younger than him and with dark hair and eyes looked around nervously. “Is Gwen here?”

“Yes, she’s…GWEN?” He called to where he heard her rummaging around.

The moment she appeared, it was as if he wasn’t even in the room. Gwen, the resolute nurse, blushed and smiled shyly as the man stammered and held the twigs out to her. 

Ooooooookay. Arthur grinned. “I…I think I need to check something…” He slowly retreated but it seemed as if those two hadn’t even noticed that he was still around. 

Once in a while, he heard Gwen giggle and when he was sure that the bloke was gone, he finally went to get the coffee he couldn’t get as he had retreated back to his office. He caught Gwen lovingly arranging the twigs in a vase and putting them on the counter. 

“So…who was that?” Arthur grinned. 

“What? Who?” Gwen blushed again. 

“The guy who brought in…” He looked at the twigs. “Half a tree.”

She laughed. “That’s not half a tree. Keep them in a vase in the warm and they will show their blossoms in a couple of days.”

“So that’s your version of giving someone flowers?” He teased. 

“Have you seen a flower shop here in Ealdor?” 

Alright, the Gwen he knew was back, that was good. 

“Not yet. So…what’s his name? I haven’t met him before.” Feigning professional interest in the potential patient, Arthur looked at the twigs.

“That’s Lance. He’s the teacher.”

The teacher. Of course, a community like Ealdor didn’t need more than one teacher, there probably weren’t enough kids to fill an entire class. 

“So…you and him…?”

“What? No! Nono!” That answer came way too quickly. “No.”

Arthur filled his mug and grinned.


	22. Chapter 22

Arthur took a deep breath. He was worn out. Shortly before they were about to close, a young man brought his highly pregnant wife in. The woman was writhing in pain and it was clear that this wouldn’t be a normal birth. Shit! Cases like that were always directed to the labour room and he didn’t have anything to do with them. Of course he had read about C-sections and knew the theory, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough in this case. 

On top of it, the woman refused to let him touch her and demanded that Gwen did everything. That hadn’t made things easier. Gwen had the advantage of having helped getting kids into this world before, but he had to talk her through the part of helping the baby to turn properly, which it obviously hadn’t done on its own. They managed to turn the baby and deliver it the natural way. 

The husband had been in the way, but in the end, a beautiful little baby boy cried angrily and he and mom were sleeping now. 

Arthur smiled at Gwen. “Well done.”

Gwen looked just as tired as he felt. “Couldn’t have done this without you.”

He huffed out a chuckle. “Contrary to you, this was my first baby.”

“But you knew what to do and you handled the situation perfectly.”

“I didn’t have to do much, you did all the work.” He sighed. “Why didn’t she come in sooner? Why haven’t we seen her here for regular checks?”

Gwen shook her head and insisted. “I’ve never had something like that before, if it weren’t for you…” She shrugged. “Some people here are like that. It’s her second child. First birth went flawlessly, so they probably thought it wasn’t necessary to come in for checks.” Gwen yawned. 

“Listen, go home, take a shower and get a good night’s sleep.” Arthur suggested. “I’ll stay here and check on Linda and the boy.”

Gwen laughed without humour. “Do you really think she will let you touch her in any way now? I’ll just go take a quick shower, make some coffee and then take the first watch.”

Knowing that he couldn’t change Gwen’s mind, Arthur was in fact rather grateful that she didn’t just dash out. It was an issue if female patients didn’t get regular checks and then refused to be touched by a male doctor. Maybe…

After mom and child were released and Gwen and Arthur had slept on the couch for bigger parts of the last nights, things went back to normal. The thought of that dramatic night came back to him. 

“The doctor is looking for a wife.” Someone muttered and others chuckled when he hung up a few flyers at the pin board in the pub. 

Turning, Arthur was faced with the usual crowd from the pub. “Good afternoon, gentlemen! By no means am I looking for a wife. I’m just turning to the women of Ealdor because I want them to be healthy. This is just a talk, without obligation for anyone. There is so much they can do for themselves, especially during pregnancy or when they’re older. Of course, everyone is welcome.”

The old men made faces. 

“Wouldn’t you want your wives, daughters, mothers get the best health care possible? To know what to do and to not shy away from coming to the hospital when they have issues?” Some of them nodded. “Then you might want to tell them about this. Nurse Gwen and I will be there to talk about new methods and procedures and of course, to answer questions.”

Arthur smiled. He knew it would take a lot of talking to convince the people of Ealdor, but he intended to make the talks a regular thing. “And if this works out, we will do another talk about male health.”

“Male health…” Someone imitated him. 

“Yes, Mr. Willard. When was the last time you had your prostate checked?”

Some of the men laughed nervously, some muttered underneath their breaths. 

“Then it’s about time that you might want to schedule an appointment.” Arthur suggested, but the men had turned their backs on him already, trying to ignore him. 

Mithy came into the taproom. “I’ll be there, Doc.”

Arthur looked at the big old clock above the door and then threw Gwen a look. He had put so much work into this, rereading things, freshening up his knowledge, making a nice powerpoint presentation and finding out how to show his slides on the white wall across the room. 

“They will come.” Gwen didn’t look convinced. 

Sighing, Arthur sat down on one of the chairs they had gotten from all the rooms. None of them matched and some might have been older than both of them together were, but it was all they had for their make-shift conference room. It was already ten minutes past the time they had put on the flyer. 

Gwen had tried to prepare him for this moment. She had gone on and on about how the people of Ealdor were stubborn and would probably need more time to warm up to him. He just didn’t do things the way Doc Mel had done them and that was something that was suspicious. 

Not even Mithy from the pub was here. Arthur was disappointed. He couldn’t force his help on anyone, he knew that, but a little bit more interest would have been appreciated. If only to meet the new doctor eye to eye for the first time. Obviously, that wasn’t happening. 

The hands of the clock slowly wandered to twenty minutes past the announced time and Arthur got up. “Alright…that didn’t work out. Go home, Gwen. I’ll take the chairs back and leave then.” 

Just as he picked up the first chair, they heard the front door open. 

“We’re in here.” Gwen shouted.

Shyly, Linda appeared in the doorway, holding her little baby boy in her arms. “I’m late…I’m sorry.”

Arthur felt quite a bit of weight falling off his shoulders. If they could convince Linda that these talks were good, she might tell others about them and they would actually work out as a regular thing. 

“No worries, just come on in. How’s the little one?”

She smiled timidly. “He’s good.”

Arthur stepped a bit closer. “Did you decide on a name yet?”

“He’s Max, after my grandfather Maximilian.”

“Hi, Max, it’s nice to see you again.” He said to the baby that slept and ignored him. “And you, too, Linda. How are you?”

Before the woman could answer, the door opened again and Mithy, followed by four other women, came in.

“Sorry, Doc, had to wait for the beer delivery.” She announced.

Arthur chuckled. Beer deliveries were important.


	23. Chapter 23

Looking up from his laptop when he heard the knock at his door, Arthur frowned. He didn’t expect any visitors and for once was proud that he didn’t have to call Merlin for help because today, he got the fire in the fireplace going without any accidents. Trying not to think about the time where he managed to fill the whole room with smoke, he got up to see who it was. 

A tall man with some scruff on his face and reddish curls stood on his porch. 

“Can I help you?” Maybe this was a medical emergency and the man needed him to go somewhere?

“Good evening, Doc. I’m sorry to disturb you at this time of day.”

Arthur waited. He was sure there was a reason why the man did it anyway. 

“I’m Leon,” the man said as if that explained anything. 

“Hello, Leon. What brings you here?” Where had Arthur heard the name before? Then again, even if he had, it might be a different Leon.

The tall man laughed and Arthur found that laugh very likeable. “I’m sorry. I’m so used to everybody knowing me…how impolite. Let me start again. Good evening, Doctor Pendragon. I’m Leon Knight, the local Mountie. I would have loved to say hello sooner, but…” He shrugged.

“Mountie business?” Arthur couldn’t help but smile. “Come on in, it’s cold.”

“I don’t want to take up all your time.”

Arthur stepped back and let Leon in. Had he been in London, he would have asked for ID and what his business in front of his door was. But he wasn’t in London, so he just let a complete stranger into the cabin at the end of the world. And the man had the typical Mountie-hat in his hands, so who else would he be?

Leon looked around for a moment. “Looking good.” He nodded appreciatively. “I mean…”

“Thank you, but that was more Merlin’s and Percy’s doing with the help of Gwen. I’m not good at decorating. I…I just made a tea? Sorry, I don’t have any alcohol around here but medical one and trust me, you don’t want to drink that.”

“I didn’t mean to stay that long, but…tea sounds good. But…I’m actually here to give you this. I was at the pub because I needed to talk to someone and Mithian gave me this and asked me to bring it. And since we hadn’t met, I thought…” Leon held out a bag that had containers in it. 

Arthur laughed. “She doesn’t trust my cooking skills.”

“That’s her.” Leon shrugged and followed Arthur into the kitchen and together they unpacked the containers.

“Have you eaten already? We could dig into this?” 

“Oh, yes, I have. I always have a meal when I’m at the pub.” 

Was there a little blush on the big Mountie’s face? He called Mithy ‘Mithian’, which was her full name, that was kind of endearing. 

Arthur poured another mug of tea and gestured towards the living room again. 

“I thought,” he said as they sat down, “that Mounties wear red uniforms?”

Leon laughed. “Not all the time. It’s our dress uniform.”

“So you actually have one?” It was one of the clichés when you thought of this country. 

Nodding, Leon sipped his tea. “Of course. But it’s for special occasions.”

“National holidays, weddings and inspections?”

Chuckling, Leon shrugged. “Basically, yes. There are some fellas who work as tourist liaisons, they wear the red serge the entire day. But out here, I’m just the local cop, no need for the dress uniform all day long.”

“I see.” 

They talked about this and that and after a while, Leon finished his tea and got up. “I don’t want to take up your precious time even more. It was a pleasure getting to know you and…welcome to Ealdor, Doc.”

“Arthur…just call me Arthur. And likewise. Thanks for coming all the way out here to make sure I won’t starve.”

As Leon stepped out of the house, he nodded once at Arthur, put the hat on and walked over to where he had parked his truck with the RCMP logo on the door. 

It was always good to be on good terms with the local law enforcement officer and Arthur had a good feeling about Leon. There was good food in his fridge, though, and his stomach told him it was time to check it out.


	24. Chapter 24

Arthur heard a knock on the door. He still hadn’t gotten used to being on his own in the wilderness like this and wondered who had the oh-so-great idea that the doctor of the town had to live so far outside the actual center, but it also was alarming when someone knocked at the door. When Merlin or Percy came by, they just yelled for him the moment they jumped out of their trucks. 

When he went to answer, a man stood outside and shuffled nervously from one foot to the other. “Yes?”

“Evening, doc.”

“Hello.”

There was an awkward moment of silence before the man cleared his throat. “I…Doc Mel…”

Doc Mel again. Arthur would never get used to this either. No matter what he did, he would always be compared to Doc Mel. “Yes?”

“I have this little…problem…and he always gave me a salve.”

A salve. That made it easier. Not. “What kind of…problem?”

The man looked uncomfortable. “Back there.”

Back there. Oh. “Haemorrhoids?”

There was a blush on the man’s face and he nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact. 

“I suggest, you come to the hospital tomorrow and we’ll take a look at it and then decide what to do.” Arthur smiled in a way that he hoped would show sympathy for the man’s condition, but was also a clear sign that he wouldn’t do anything about that here and now. This definitely wasn’t an emergency and as Doc Mel had already treated this, it sure wasn’t new. 

“The hospital?” The man paled. “Err…Gwen will be there.”

Arthur had to fight back a grin. “Most likely.”

“She can’t know!”

“Sir, Nurse Smith is a medical professional. There is nothing she hasn’t seen before and she doesn’t have to be in the room for the examination.” 

The man shook his head. “Nobody needs to know. Doc Mel always gave me a salve when I came to his house.”

Of course that was something the old doctor would have done. Arthur took a deep breath. “I’d much rather examine you myself. How about…you come to the hospital during Gwen’s lunch break? Then she won’t know.” She would, he knew, she had access to all the files. 

“If I have to come in…can I come after hours?”

If he said no now, Arthur was sure that the man would just order something from the internet and he didn’t want to risk that. “Alright.”

“I’ll knock at the back door, alright?”

Back door…how appropriate, but Arthur didn’t mention that. “Alright.”

The man nodded once. “Thank you, Doc.” He turned and then seemed to have vanished between the trees. 

People around here were odd and Arthur didn’t have the easiest time adjusting to their behaviour. Where he came from, nobody would knock at his door after hours. Not even in a case of emergency. Here, he was obviously on duty 24/7. 

Sighing, he grabbed his laptop and got comfy on the couch. The crocheted blanket that had been there when he moved in and was a present from Gwen’s grandmother, was a lot warmer than he had expected and he had started to appreciate its existence. Just as he had wrapped it neatly around himself, his phone rang. Not his mobile, the landline. Groaning, Arthur untangled himself from the blanket and padded over. That this old phone still existed and hadn’t fallen apart decades ago was a mystery to him. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Arthur.”

A smiled spread across his face, if he wanted or not. “Merlin. What is it?”

“Just wanted to see if you need anything?”

“Anything like…what exactly?”

They had made his stock-up-for-winter list a few nights ago and it was part of the order the trading post had made. 

“Some company would be nice.” Arthur said before he could stop himself. Back home, he had always been happy to finally be on his own and close his door behind himself, but it was really quiet and lonely here. 

Merlin made a delighted sound. “Hey, listen. Gwaine just got me fresh moose and I thought you’d probably never eaten moose before…”

“I did not even know you could eat them.”

“Of course you can!” Merlin laughed. “How about…you fire up the oven and I bring everything we need and then…”

“I’ll have some moose?”

“Yup.”

It was a fun evening with Merlin showing off his cooking skills and Arthur freely admitting that he had no idea what was going on. In the end, they had a wonderful meal and it was a lot later than Arthur thought when Merlin pulled the beanie on his head again and left.


	25. Chapter 25

It was Percy’s turn to babysit him that Sunday, but in general, everybody had gotten a lot more relaxed. Nobody feared Arthur would burn down the house or accidentally kill himself when he used the big knife to cut up vegetables anymore. With the help of YouTube he even managed to cook some edible things. 

When he stepped out on the porch, it wasn’t Percy who greeted him with a wide smile. 

“Merlin?”

“The one and only. What are you still standing around like that, get dressed!”

Arthur still wasn’t over his surprise. Not that he minded spending time with Merlin, au contraire, Percy could get a bit monosyllabically once in a while. He never had that problem with Merlin. “What for?”

“For you to not freeze to death?”

“Where are we going?”

“Stop asking, get dressed and come along.”

A few hours later, Arthur was frozen anyway, but he couldn’t stop laughing. Merlin had taken him back to Percy’s garage where they had switched from the truck to snow mobiles. After a short introduction and some general instructions, Merlin had outfitted him with extra thick gloves and a hat with earflaps that he had to put on underneath the hood of his coat. Special goggles were part of the outfit and they had started their tour. 

In the beginning, Merlin had gone slow, always making sure that Arthur could follow and wasn’t in trouble. When he noticed that Arthur got the hang of it, he found them an open plain and sped up. Once in a while, he stopped to explain something about the area or show Arthur some animal tracks. 

Now they were almost back at their starting point and Arthur hadn’t even noticed that they’d gone in one big circle. His cheeks were stinging and the cold wind had found its way into his gloves, he barely felt his arse, but Arthur didn’t care as he climbed off the snow mobile. 

Percy came out of his garage, wiping his hands on a greasy rag. “You made it back.”

“Barely.” Merlin grinned. “The good Doc had some issues.”

“That’s not true!” Arthur grinned just as widely, the adrenaline still raging through him. Why mention the few times, he had managed to get the snow mobile stuck in a snow drift? 

“Oh, it is. But…you weren’t bad for your first time.” Merlin winked at him. 

“Thought you might like that.” Percy nodded. 

“It was your idea?”

“Well, the mobiles just stand around…so…” Percy shrugged. “And I had to fix Lance’s car, so Merlin volunteered.”

“Thank you. Both of you. I’ve had a great time.” Arthur looked from one to the other. “It’s still a bit early for a drink at Mithy’s, but…doesn’t she serve freshly baked cake on Sundays?” She did, he remembered the scent coming through his door while he still lived there. 

Percy shook his head. “Oh, I can’t. Not done with the car. You two have fun.” He already started to take the snow mobiles back into a shed. 

Merlin smiled. “When there’s cake involved, I’m definitely game.”

An hour later, the entire pub knew about Arthur’s adventures out in the snow and Merlin even made the time he had dismounted the snow mobile over the handlebar as he had driven it into the snow drift sound like fun. There was lots of teasing and Mithy got them refills on their teas and extra big slices of the cake she had made this very morning.


	26. Chapter 26

_Hey little brother,_

_How’ve you been fairing? Haven’t heard from you in a while and I hope that you didn’t get eaten by a bear yet. Have you settled in a bit more now? I still don’t know why you had to take that position at the butt of the world, but hey, if it makes you happy, I’m happy, too._

_Send some pics, I start forgetting what your stupid face looks like!  
So you don’t suffer the same fate, I’ve attached some selfies from last weekend when we were at the Christmas Market of that adorable little town we went skiing at. _

_Morgs_

Arthur grinned when he read Morgana’s email but the grin slid off his face when he looked at the photos. It was almost as if they were taken in a different world. A world he had belonged to. Going for a weekend of skiing, spending time in a spa, going to fancy places whenever they could, all that seemed so alien to him now, but it was good to see that Morgana had fun. 

_Morgs,_

_As everyone knows, bears do hibernate in winter. Chances of getting eaten by one this close to Christmas are slim._

Arthur worried his lower lip with his teeth. Elk and moose were a different story, but she didn’t need to know about that. 

_I’m attaching some photos of the place I’m living in. Doesn’t it look like one of the chalets we went to in Switzerland when we went skiing as children?_

If he told himself long enough, he might even believe it. Even though the cabin was cozy and he had made it his place, it was a far cry from the luxurious huge chalets father had rented for them. 

_The job at the hospital brings something new every day and people around here sure are different from what I was used to, but I’m coping._

Barely.

_How are things going in London? Any news of a clinic looking for a new head of A &E?_

Arthur knew that Morgana kept her eyes peeled, but so far, nothing had come up that he could have applied for. He had no idea how his experience in the neck of the woods would influence his chances, though. Some hospitals might appreciate that he had to deal with all kinds of things here, others might wrinkle their noses about this. Was he blowing his chances of ever getting a real job, the one he wanted, with what he was doing here? 

Maybe he should have left the next time Merlin flew out to Calgary, but he had stayed. And now he couldn’t leave the people of Ealdor without medical care. At least…until spring. Things were easier in spring and they would find someone new and he could go back to what he was used to. 

He looked back at the email he was writing. 

_Love,  
Arthur_


	27. Chapter 27

In the beginning, Arthur had spent his evenings at the house reading news on the internet, trying to get information on things he only had a vague memory of from his days as a medical student. He never knew what illness he was faced with when the door of the hospital opened, he needed to freshen up his memory and get a better knowledge of the things a GP had to know. 

Now, he relaxed a bit more and had decided to not work when he came back. Stepping back from the fire at the fireplace, he looked at it proudly. Slowly, he was getting the hang of it. Before he would go to bed, he would put another log onto it and the cabin would still be warm in the morning. Browsing through Doc Mel’s library – he hadn’t gotten around to get rid of the old books – he pulled a novel out of the shelf. 

Gently running a hand over the back of the book, Arthur tried to remember the last time he had read anything that wasn’t job-related. Mentally shrugging as he couldn’t, he curled up on the couch with the colourful blanket and opened the book. The fire almost made one side of his face hot and his legs were warm under the blanket and after a few pages, Arthur fell asleep. 

“Doc.”

What a weird dream. It was almost as if someone was calling him. 

“Doc!”

Go away, I’m sleeping. 

“Doc!” 

A hand shook his shoulder and Arthur’s eyes flew open. He yelled out and tried to scramble away from the tall, bearded creature that was leaning over him. Only to land flat on his arse in front of the couch. Getting rid of the blanket as quickly as he could, Arthur jumped up and stared at the…man? 

“What do you want? I have nothing here. Robbing me makes no sense!” Slowly, he backed towards the fireplace. If he could reach for the poker before this bloke attacked him, he could probably defend himself. 

The man pulled his sleeve up. “Look.”

What? What the hell was going on? Arthur was almost dizzy from being woken up so rudely and all the adrenaline rushing through him. “Huh?”

“I have this nasty rash and I can’t get rid of it.”

Blinking a few times, Arthur tried to make sense of what he had just heard. “Huh?” He asked again. 

“Rash…on my arm.” The man explained very slowly as if Arthur was daft. 

“Who…who are you?”

Throwing him a look that clearly said that he was indeed stupid and should know things like that, the man scratched his massive beard. “Larry.”

Feeling that was all the explanation he would get, Arthur carefully moved closer. “This rash only appeared now?” He still stayed out of reach.

“Nah, got it for a few days.”

“So you have this for a few days already and decided to break into my home now and expect me to treat you?” His brain was starting to hurt trying to get this together. 

“Well…you’re the doc, doc.”

“This isn’t an emergency, you know?”

“But it’s itching.”

Closing his eyes for a moment to take a deep breath, Arthur knew he needed to let people know that some things definitely weren’t emergencies. While he still had some sympathy for Mr. Svenson with his ‘back there’ problems, an itching rash that existed for a few days absolutely wasn’t something that could not be tended to during the opening hours of the hospital. “For a few days.”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s not an emergency. You need to come to the hospital when we’re there.”

“But I’m here now.”

Arthur sighed. This wasn’t going anywhere. “Alright. Tell me what you did before this showed up.”

After handing out a simple skin ointment from his own private stock, the man finally left. 

“And next time, please come to the hospital during opening hours!” Arthur yelled after him. 

After inspecting the lock because he was sure that he had locked the door when he came back, Arthur texted Merlin. 

_Does anyone else have the keys to my place?_

He had pondered to call but he didn’t want to wake Merlin up in case he already slept. It was late after all. 

_Nope. Handed them all to you when you moved in, why?_

_Had a nightly visitor._ He’d barely sent this text when the landline rang.

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

It was good to hear Merlin’s voice. 

“A bit shaken, but yes.”

“Who was there?”

“A huge guy…thought he was bigfoot or something…by the name of Larry.”

Merlin laughed. “That would be Sasquatch here.”

“Huh?”

“Bigfoot…Sasquatch.”

It wasn’t funny. “So you’re saying that Sasquatch paid me a visit?”

“No, it was just Larry. Why don’t you just tell me what happened?”

After a quick report, during which Merlin could barely contain his amusement, Arthur huffed. “How did he get in?”

“Larry gets everywhere he wants to get.”

“He’s the local burglar?”

“Not really. He lives out in the woods and when he wants to see someone and they’re not home, he…lets himself in.”

“I need to call Leon.”

Merlin chuckled. “You can tell him tomorrow, he’ll talk to him again. But don’t think that will keep him from going into your place.”

“What if he steals things?”

“The only things missing so far when he waited for people in their houses were a cup of tea and a sandwich or some cookies. Arthur, he’s harmless.”

Arthur wasn’t convinced. “We need to make people understand that it is not okay to break into my place when it’s not an emergency!”

Merlin was all with him on that and they talked for a while until Arthur’s blood pressure had reached a normal level again.

“Night, Arthur.”

“Night, Merlin.”


	28. Chapter 28

Merlin. Arthur took a deep breath as he stood by the fireplace, just watching it burn and listening to it cackle. A sight and sound that would have induced panic just a few months ago as an open fire meant that something was terribly wrong. Now, it belonged to his daily routine and even though he still had nights where he almost froze to the sheets as he had miscalculated how many logs he needed to put on to still have some warmth in the morning, he started to cherish the sight and sound. 

It wasn’t good, though, that he just stood there and let his thoughts wander. Sooner or later, they usually came back to the tall brunette with the sticking-out ears and the wonderful smile. He couldn’t develop a crush on him, that wasn’t right. They were just friends. Like he was friends with Percy. 

Deep inside, Arthur knew that wasn’t true. He might be able to call Percy a friend and he knew he needed all the friends he could get, but it was different with Merlin. He felt better the moment he heard Merlin’s voice and when Merlin was around the world seemed to be a lot easier to bear. His evenings were boring without him and that vivid dream he’d had the other night showed him that he wanted more. 

But that wasn’t too easy around here. Things like that were taken a lot more serious and he couldn’t just avoid Merlin if he wasn’t interested. It wasn’t too clever to initiate anything here anyways as he would be gone soon and it wouldn’t be fair to have an affair, knowing that he would have to break it off in a few weeks or months. They needed to stay friends. 

Arthur took a deep breath and shook his head. He was an adult with two healthy hands. If the need came up again, he would just help himself. 

A noise outside pulled him out of his thoughts. The house was secluded and for a city person like him, it was a lot creepier living here without really seeing his neighbours than not seeing the neighbour that lived on the same floor in a high rise with him. Was someone out there? The people of Ealdor usually weren’t shy to knock at his door, no matter how often he told them that yes, he was available for emergencies but no, some sneezing and a sore throat wasn’t an emergency. So why didn’t the person just disturb his after-work hours, so they could get over with it.

Slowly, he got up and crept to the window. Peeking outside, he saw a giant moose standing close to his porch, just looking at things. 

Arthur’s heart was beating up in his throat. What was he to do? He had no means of defending himself and how did you defend yourself against a wild moose anyway? And where there pet meese…mooses…moose at all? Who would be so crazy to want to have THIS as a pet? All those crazy thoughts went to his head. What would he do if the moose decided to pay him an even closer visit? 

Alright, the moose was still outside and he was still inside. What to do? Would making shoo-noises scare the animal away? Arthur threw his laptop a glance, but the WiFi had gone out about an hour ago and without connection he could hardly do some research now. 

Would it make the moose go away if he moved around the place? It would probably just make it angry.

Reaching for the old-fashioned landline phone, Arthur dialled one of the only numbers he knew.

“Yes?”

Oh, good, he was at home! “Merlin?” He whispered.

“Arthur?” Merlin whispered back. “Why are we whispering?”

“There’s a moose in my backyard.” Arthur whispered. “And my internet is out.”

There was a moment of silence before Merlin started to laugh. “You…you tried to google ‘How do I get rid of a moose in my backyard?’”

It seemed to be the most hilarious thing Merlin had ever heard, he couldn’t stop laughing. But for him, whose encounters with wildlife were limited to the city pidgeons or some rats where the waste containers of the hospital he had worked at were, this was no laughing matter. 

“Well…how do I get rid of it?” Arthur still whispered as not to disturb the moose.

“That’s just Alfred. Doc Mel fed him in the winter. I’m sure he saw the lights on and went to check if you put food out for him.”

“But that’s…”

“Yes, I know, you shouldn’t feed wildlife, but Alfred basically grew up in Ealdor.”

“He’s a citizen?” Arthur asked dryly. He wouldn’t put it beyond the people here to not only give the moose a name but also his own ID card or something. 

“Something like that”

“And if I don’t feed it, will it go away?” Arthur peeked out the window again, but the moose hadn’t moved. 

“Eventually. But if you had some carrots to spare, you will make a new friend.” Merlin laughed. 

Carrots, he still had some in the fridge….maybe…if he… “But how do I feed it. I can’t go out on the porch with it standing there.”

Merlin giggled again. “Maybe you could open the door and toss the carrots out in the backyard?”

Oh…that thought hadn’t even occurred to him. “That…that might work.”

“Should I come over and hold your hand while you are facing the beast?” 

Even though Arthur had nothing against holding hands with Merlin, he didn’t need being made fun of now. “If I don’t survive this, I’ll call you again.” He hung up, only then realizing how insane that must have sounded and pictured Merlin falling off of his chair laughing. 

Straightening his jumper, he peeked at the moose again. “Alright. Carrots…”


	29. Chapter 29

“Meeting the little lady you’ll be taking to the Christmas dance, Doc?” Someone shouted across the pub as he sat down in a booth.

“Err…what? I’m meeting Merlin.” Arthur had asked him to meet him here. There had been more snow and it became more and more likely that Merlin wouldn’t be able to fly to Calgary regularly, so they needed to work out a plan to get the citizens of Ealdor their medicine on time. 

There was laughter and wolf whistling and Arthur only realized then how that might have sounded. “Christmas Dance?” He asked. 

Mithy stepped up to his table and set a beer in front of him. “It’s an annual thing. The week before Christmas. There’s music and dance and…you know, the usual things.”

“Nobody told me about that.” Arthur had never thought much about Christmas or other holidays. Usually, he had taken the shifts from all those who wanted to spend time with their loved ones. He didn’t really have someone and if he could avoid going back to the mansion, he did it. 

“Well, now I told you. You don’t have to ask anyone out, but if you have your eye on someone…this might be your chance.” She grinned. 

Arthur shook his head. “Ah…nah, and Christmas is so far away…”

“It’s in four weeks, Doc. Still some time left to find someone.” She winked at him. “And before you ask, I’m already spoken for, sorry.”

“Leon?” Arthur grinned. 

“How do you know?”

Things like these didn’t stay secrets for too long and after Leon had paid him a visit, Arthur had kept his eyes and ears open to back up his hunch. He had been right. “Just one of my talents.” He grinned. 

Mithy smiled. “Let’s hope someone discovers all of your talents soon. It’s a shame that you are all by yourself up in that cabin there.”

Before Arthur could say anything, Merlin slid into the booth across from him and took his gloves off. “Hey!”

“The usual, Merlin?” Mithy asked. 

“Yes, please.” He wriggled here and there to get out of his thick coat that he just left behind him on the seat before he pulled the beanie off his head. 

Once again, Arthur could only stare. Merlin’s hair was a thing to write home about. It was dark and a bit too long and curled in Merlin’s neck and just looked as if he needed to sink his hands into it. But he shouldn’t think thoughts like these. Arthur cleared his throat. “Hi, Merlin. Thanks for coming.”

“Any time.” Merlin beamed, accepted the beer Mithy brought over and took a sip. “Just landed. It took a bit longer to get me all the packages and things, so it was almost dark here.”

“You can land in the dark?”

“I can hardly stay up in the air until it’s light again.” Merlin chuckled. 

Arthur grinned and shook his head. “Wow.”

Soon, they were emerged in a vivid discussion about the logistics of flying in the wilderness in winter, but Arthur had a good feeling that they would find a way. 

They ordered the daily special and had dinner together.

“By the way, how’s Alfred?” Merlin dug into his veggies and grinned. 

“He seemed to have accepted the carrots as peace offering and wandered off. Not without taking a huge dump in my garden.” Arthur made a face and knew he deserved the teasing. If this had happened to someone else and they had actually tried to google how to get rid of the moose, he would have laughed his arse off. Just that it was him who had the encounter. 

Of course, Merlin had to drag him about every little thing. The fire, the water that he had managed to let freeze in the sink, the more than meager shopping list for the pantry, everything. And now the moose. But he did it in a way that Arthur couldn’t even be cross. 

“Hey, at least I got the car out of the snow bank on my own the other day!” Driving in these weather conditions was something he wasn’t born to do either, but so far he hadn’t totalled the old clunker. 

“You hold up pedestrians with your driving.” Merlin laughed. “Old Maple was faster than you!”

“Wasn’t she the one Leon wrote tickets for?”

“For driving too slow, yes.” 

Arthur thoroughly enjoyed Merlin’s company and it got later than expected. 

Merlin yawned. “Sorry, it’s just…”

“Yes, we probably should…”

Had they been in a pub back home, they would have taken their jackets and leave the place. Arthur had learned his lesson. If he did that here, he would be frozen before he even had the zipper all the way up. So they bundled up, pulling hats back on and thick gloves onto their hands, before they waved their good-byes to Mithy and left. 

Stepping from one foot to the other, Arthur didn’t know what to say. Being around Merlin was easy and he didn’t want it to end, but…

“Hey, Arthur…I…”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

Arthur shrugged. “Work…and then… don’t know.”

“Can I pick you up from work?”

“What for?” 

“I want to show you something.”

Arthur had no idea what that might be and where Merlin would take him, but he would take the chance to spend more time with him. “Looking forward to it.”


	30. Chapter 30

“Gwen?” Arthur shouted over his shoulder when he saw Lance opening the door. “Hey Lance, she’ll be right there. But while I have you here to myself…”

Lance looked at him. “Yes?”

“I know that not everybody in town knows my face yet, so I thought…do you see a chance that I come over to school to say hello to your students?” It was just an idea and he had no clue what to tell them and what to talk about.

A wide smile showed on Lance’s face. “That’s a great idea, doc! I tell them about the dangers of hunting and getting lost in the snowy landscape, but they might listen to you a lot more!”

Dangers of hunting? Getting lost in the snowy landscape? Arthur smiled, but he knew he would have quite some intensive reading to do if those were the topics the teacher wanted him to cover. “Let’s work something out.” 

Lance seemed to have forgotten his presence already as Gwen appeared and he only had eyes for her. 

Arthur tried to hide his grin when he saw the blush on Gwen’s face. So this was going fine and Gwen would have someone who took her to the dance. 

But now, he had to get ready for his own date. Wait, it wasn’t a date. Merlin wanted to show him something. That might be everything from how to find a bear’s cave and not to disturb its hibernation to a new sticker on Berta. It most likely had to do with something he needed to do to make nice with the people of Ealdor. It was good to have Merlin on his side, though. Everybody liked Merlin and they listened to him. 

Changing out of the scurbs into a thick knitted sweater, Arthur pulled his boots on when he heard Gwen call. 

“Merlin’s here.”

“Coming.” Pulling his jacket on, Arthur checked if he had everything. Scarf, hat, gloves…yes, he could leave. 

Merlin was waiting outside, leaning against his truck. “Hey.”

“Hi. Where are we going?”

Merlin just smiled and climbed into the truck, gesturing for Arthur to do the same. 

He had done this so many times now but he still couldn’t do it with Merlin’s practiced ease. At least he didn’t look like he had no control over his body anymore. 

Merlin drove to the outskirts of town and parked. “We’re going to an exhibition,” he announced. 

An exhibition. In Ealdor. Arthur threw him a look. “You got a museum here?” 

“Not exactly.” Merlin chuckled and led the way. 

Arthur noticed that the path they were taking was trampled down, so at least he didn’t have to make his way through waist-high snow. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to an exhibition.” He barely remembered that time his sister had dragged him to see some paintings by a Dutch painter whose name he couldn’t pronounce correctly. 

“Then it’s about time.” Merlin smiled. He asked about Arthur’s day and had some info about things they had ordered for the hospital. 

Arthur stopped walking for a moment. “Merlin?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“It’s something you mentioned a while ago.”

“Yes?”

“You said that big city life is not for everyone. What did you mean by that?”

Merlin stopped and looked at him. 

“Hey, if this is too personal, I’m sorry, you don’t have to…”

“No, it’s okay…” Continuing down the path, Merlin took a deep breath. “I’ve been living in Toronto for a few years.”

Arthur walked next to him and didn’t comment. He had suspected something like this, but thought it was probably Calgary as it was closer.

“I went there to work in IT, finish my degree…and then…” Merlin shrugged. “Met the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with and got married.”

Married. A man! Arthur’s heart was beating faster and his stomach did a little flip. 

“After two years and a couple of visits here, he decided he can’t be with a small-town boy anymore and left.”

“Oh…I shouldn’t have asked.” 

Merlin took a deep breath and threw him a look. “I noticed that I didn’t like life in the city all that much and had only stayed for him. So after we filed for divorce, I came back here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be!” Merlin chuckled. “This is the life I want, without the shackles of a nine to five job and having to make interesting conversation at boring parties on the weekend.”

Just as Arthur wanted to say that big city life could be different than that and that it was probably bad timing and the wrong city, Merlin stopped. 

“We’re here.”

Arthur blinked. Merlin had taken him down to the riverbank where about ten different ice sculptures were put up. A clever lighting system illuminated them. “Whoa.”

“They’re neat, aren’t they?”

“Did you make them?”

Merlin laughed. “I’m not good at sculpting. These are by Percy and some others from Mack and Gerald.”

Arthur didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he had expected, but definitely not this. Most of the sculptures showed creatures from local myths and legends and they almost looked unreal. 

They went from sculpture to sculpture and Merlin explained the creatures and their meaning until it got really cold and they went back to the truck. 

When they were back at the hospital, Arthur didn’t want the day to end just yet, but he didn’t feel like asking Merlin to the pub either. 

“Err…you know…I can’t offer you a great meal, but I still have some of the dishes Mithy sent, so we could defrost them and have dinner at the house?”

Merlin smiled almost shyly. “I’d like that.”


	31. Chapter 31

Merlin had been to his place so many times, but now it felt different. They had made fire together, cooked and sat on the couch discussing everything and nothing, but there was an awkward little silence when Arthur got up to make some tea and Merlin followed him to the kitchen. 

“Arthur?”

“Hm?”

“I…” Merlin sighed. 

Arthur turned and looked at him. 

“I think I’m spending too much time here.”

What? They had such a nice evening together and now Merlin bailed? “Why would you say that?”

Merlin accepted the mug and made the tea bag bop in it when he pulled on the string again and again. “I don’t know…I…” He looked up and swallowed hard. 

Arthur just looked at him. He had never seen this look on Merlin’s face. Determined, almost hungry. He couldn’t look away. 

Slowly, Merlin set the tea mug aside. “I…” He closed the space between them and before Arthur knew it, he felt Merlin’s lips on his. 

Fuck. 

Arthur closed his eyes. If he said he hadn’t dreamed about kissing Merlin once or twice, it would have been a lie. But this was nothing like in his dreams. It was soft and gentle and demanding at the same time. He gave in and parted his lips, his hands coming up to fist into Merlin’s big sweater. He could have kissed Merlin forever. 

After a while, Merlin pulled back and smiled. 

“What?”

“Even better than I imagined.”

Arthur chuckled. “Same here.”

“So…you imagined this, too?” Merlin’s eyebrow came up and there was a mischievous grin on his face. 

“Once or twice.” Arthur admitted. 

“So I can do it again?”

Arthur just nodded. 

They ignored the water boiling and just kissed until the entire kitchen was filled with steam. Laughing, they broke apart. 

“We’re setting the house on fire.” Arthur grinned. 

“We could…” Merlin was looking suggestively at him, but then shook his head. “Sorry, moving too fast.”

“What? No! I mean…” Arthur felt a slight blush on his cheeks. He wanted Merlin and he didn’t care about going slow now.

Merlin didn’t need more for an answer and dove in kissing him again. He moved them toward the bedroom, already tugging at Arthur’s clothes. It was chilly in the room, but Arthur didn’t care. He wanted to get his hands on Merlin’s skin as quickly as possible. 

“So many layers,” he whispered against Merlin’s lips. 

Merlin grinned. “The perks of living up here.”

Finally, they were naked and Merlin stepped back. 

“What?” Arthur pulled his stomach in. He had been called fat and that was even before he lived off Mithy’s good cooking. 

Merlin huffed out a breath. “Perfect.”

Arthur knew he was a lot of things but not perfect. In contrast to Merlin, who was. When he sometimes looked gangly and skinny, he was actually perfectly built. Broad shoulders that he usually hid under wide shirts, a slim waist and strong legs, all muscles defined but not overly worked on, just the way Arthur liked it. 

“Come here.”

When he did, Merlin pulled him close to kiss him again before he pushed him gently onto the bed. 

“You got…things?”

Arthur startled. He hadn’t thought about anything like this when he came here and his gig up north should have been a short one, so… “Maybe…a condom…in my wallet?” 

Merlin chuckled. “Be right back.”

While Merlin jumped up and rummaged through his clothes, Arthur looked at him and enjoyed the view. Especially each time Merlin was bending over to pick up another piece of clothing. Finally, he found what he’d been looking for. 

“You came prepared.” Arthur’s heart was beating faster. Halfway through their evening, he had been aware that Merlin had taken him on a date, but that he had actually planned the night ending like this…

Merlin grinned. “A guy can hope?”

They both chuckled for a moment and then Arthur got serious again. “What are you waiting for?”

Merlin crawled onto the bed and straddled him. 

“I’m…” Arthur looked Merlin’s body up and down.

“Too fast?” Merlin sat back a bit, making their cocks touch. 

Moaning, Arthur shook his head. “I...want you to…”

Merlin leaned down and whispered. “I hope you want me to fuck you. Because that’s what I wanted since I saw you at the airport.”

A shiver ran through Arthur. Nobody had said anything like this to him before. Usually when he was with someone, there was no talking at all, just physical activity. Not even his ex had ever said anything remotely like this. He nodded. 

It felt like hours when Merlin prepared him, exploring his body on the way and giving him a great blowjob. Finally, he shoved in and Arthur yelled out. It had been a while since he’d last been with anyone and he felt so stretched and overly full. 

How Merlin managed to find the right rhythm, very slow at first and then speeding up more and more, was a mystery to him, but Arthur never wanted it to end. 

It ended eventually and Arthur was breathing hard when Merlin finally pulled out gently and lay next to him panting for a moment before he discarded of the condom and pulled the blanket over them.


	32. Chapter 32

When he woke up, Arthur grumbled. Something was off. Merlin was gone. 

Hm, alright, so this was just a one-night-stand. He hadn’t thought that people up here did something like that, but…oh well, yes, he was disappointed, but on the other hand it was probably better that way. It would be easier to leave when the right job came along. 

But something was different and Arthur couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Was it that well-used feeling that he didn’t have in such a long time? Or that they had been at it for quite a while and he didn’t get enough sleep and was running on adrenaline? 

It took Arthur a moment to figure it out. The cabin was warm. The cabin never was cozily warm this early in the morning. That could only mean one thing. Merlin was still here and had made a fire already. 

Slowly, the door got opened and Merlin peeked his head in. “Good morning,” he whispered gently. 

“Mrng.”

“Oh, not a morning person, I see.” There it was, Merlin’s radiant smile. “Come on, if you get up now, we can have breakfast together.”

Slowly scrambling out of bed, Arthur ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Coming.”

“Again?” Merlin laughed and left him to get dressed. 

Back in London, Arthur would have never dared to show up for breakfast in sweatpants and thick, knitted socks, a fleece jacket over a long-sleeved t-shirt, but here it seemed to be the logical thing to do. 

Merlin was already in his clothes again and stepped close to kiss him when he came into the kitchen. “Good morning.”

Accepting the kisses and the mug of coffee Merlin had made for him, Arthur smiled. “Morning.”

“Ah, I see you’re slowly waking up.”

“Are you always this bouncy in the morning?” Arthur blinked over the rim of his coffee mug. 

“Only when I spent the night with someone fantastic.” Merlin winked.

Chuckling, Arthur blushed a bit and looked expectantly at the plate Merlin was loading with scrambled eggs and other goodies. 

It had been a bit awkward that Merlin took him back to the hospital where he had left his car the day before, but Arthur tried to play it cool. They had stopped right outside the town for some serious snogging, so he just slid out of the truck and raised his hand in a short wave before Merlin left. 

Gwen leaned against the front desk and smirked into her coffee mug. “Morning.”

“Good morning to you, too, Gwen.” Arthur hung up his jacket and changed out of his boots into his runners, the normal morning ritual. 

“Was that Merlin?” She asked all innocently, batting her eyelashes. 

“Yup.” Arthur couldn’t help feeling as if his face was on fire. 

“Finally.” Gwen finished her coffee and grinned. 

“What do you mean…finally?”

Rolling her eyes, Gwen sighed. “Come on, you two have been dancing around each other since you set foot on Canadian ground.”

“You think so?”

“Anyone with eyes could see.”

“I’m….”

“Hey, I’m happy for you. Merlin deserves to be happy, you deserve it.” She smiled widely. 

“And…what about you?” Arthur needed to divert the attention from Merlin and him. 

The smile on Gwen’s face grew wider. “Lance asked me to the dance.”

“That’s wonderful news.” 

“Did you ask Merlin?”

Damn, that hadn’t worked out. 

“Did I ask him what?” Arthur was not willing to admit that Merlin basically had seduced him. Not that he had struggled all too hard, but Gwen sure didn’t need to know. 

“To go to the dance with you.”

“I…do you think that’s a good idea?” It was all so new and fresh that Arthur didn’t have the time to even think about it. He didn’t know if they were together or if this was just a friends-with-benefits-thing. Going out together to a dance seemed very official. 

Gwen shrugged. “Oh, you know, there will be a few people who might not be amused, but everyone knows that Merlin will never date a woman and I’m sure they don’t mind him dating you.”

Arthur wasn’t so sure about that either. “I’m the stranger, the Englishman, coming from far away. I’m certain that they have a thing or two to say about that.”

“The sooner they say it, the sooner they are over it.” She shrugged again and then turned to the phone that was ringing. 

For the rest of the day, Arthur thought about her words. The way he had met the people from Ealdor, some would be really cross with him and probably even refuse to let him treat them. He was aware that there were individuals who would warn and threaten him. Merlin was a cherished member of this society, they would definitely harm him if he hurt Merlin. If he showed up with Merlin to the Christmas Dance, the looks and advances would stop, though. This would be an advantage. Then again, it was way too early to even think about this.


	33. Chapter 33

Merlin showed up again as they closed the hospital. 

“Hey Merlin.” Gwen winked at him as she passed him on her way out. 

“Gwen.” Merlin nodded. 

“Hey…” Arthur couldn’t help the huge smile on his face. “I didn’t expect you here today.”

Merlin shrugged. “I didn’t have any plans, so I thought…”

Chuckling, Arthur pulled the zipper of his jacket up all the way. “Good thinking. What do you want to do? I’d like to take you to the movies, but I haven’t found a cinema around here.”

“If you don’t want to go to the movie nights at the pub, I suggest…” A wide grin showed up on Merlin’s face. “My place.”

Arthur had heard about the movie nights at the pub and was well aware that they only showed the really old films, preferably the black and white ones. And he could hardly snog Merlin in the pub, no matter how emerged people were in what was being shown. “Your place? Sounds good.”

Merlin’s house wasn’t much bigger than the cabin and Arthur looked around with interest. He’d never been here before and he was curious to see how Merlin had decorated his place. 

“What?” Merlin grinned as went to tend to the fireplace. 

“It’s…different.”

“Why? What’s different here?”

Arthur definitely wasn’t the tidiest person, but Merlin had stacked things everywhere. Books and magazines, letters and other things. 

Snatching a plate with crumbs from a former lunch from the coffee table, Merlin went to the kitchen. “Tea?”

“Sounds good.” Arthur murmured absentmindedly. There was so much to explore here! He saw a model of Merlin’s plane on the shelf and there was a fur on the couch. He also had quite the selection of DVDs and a big TV screen. 

Merlin brought the tea out, wiped his sleeve over the coffee table and set the mugs down. “Yeah, it’s a bit messy…”

A bit messy was the understatement of the year. 

“But…I was busy last night, you know?” He grinned. 

Arthur laughed. “So…what exactly have you been busy with?”

“I could…show you?”

Arthur didn’t get much further in his exploring of the room as Merlin pulled him down onto the couch where he kissed him thoroughly. Their clothes came off quickly and Arthur found out that he indeed liked that fur. It tickled in all the right places. They moved things to the bedroom after that first time on the couch and Arthur went on a journey to discover Merlin’s body. 

Hours later, Merlin lifted his head. “Hmm.”

“What?”

“Bit late for a movie now, isn’t it?”

Arthur playfully swatted at his arm and pulled him back under the cover. 

Damn, this was awkward. Gwen had raised an eyebrow when he arrived at the hospital, once again being dropped off by Merlin, in the same clothes she had seen him leave with the prior day. But then he couldn’t help but grinning with her when she started chuckling. 

“What?” He laughed. 

“Oh…nothing…I’m happy for you two.”

“Well, this…it was just…” Arthur stammered. It was so new and he didn’t want to define it in any way. Maybe Merlin would decide soon that he was just boring and then it was over, so there was no need to put a stamp on it. 

“I think I know fully well what it was. Maybe you want to store some of your clothes at Merlin’s…his house is a bit closer to the city center, too…”

Oh, it was definitely too early for that, but storing some clothes here at the hospital made perfect sense. It was rare that patients came in two days in a row, but Ealdorians were perceptive, they would notice if he wore the same clothing than the day before. 

“Alright, what’s on the agenda for today, Gwen?”

She checked the screen. “Lance is waiting for you to go over the topics of your presentation in school. And in the afternoon, Gaius scheduled his check.”

Arthur sighed. “And you couldn’t have told me that before I took off my boots?” He was in too good of a mood to be cross and toed off his sneakers again. 

“Sorry!” She giggled. “And tell Lance I said hi.”

“Oh, I will.” 

“Nothing more! Do you hear me?”

Arthur had already shrugged his jacket back on and pulled the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder. He was sure that Lance knew exactly that Gwen had a huge crush on him and if the frequency in which he showed up at the hospital was anything to go by, Gwen’s feelings were not unrequited.


	34. Chapter 34

Gaius put his plaid shirt on again. “So, Doc, how bad is it?”

Arthur was going through his patient’s file and checked a few things, not really happy with the fact that Doc Mel hadn’t written down everything and just tried to remember certain things about his patients. “Well, I’d say we wait for the blood test results and I would like to switch you over to a new drug.”

Gaius smirked and his eyebrow took an impressive trip towards his hairline. “But Doc, ain’t I a bit too old to start with drugs?”

Smiling, Arthur looked up. He liked the old man. He said what needed to be said, tried to be a just and fair mayor and had a wicked sense of humour. “You know what I mean. What you’re taking is…” 

“Old? Outdated? Has been replaced by better things ages ago?” Gaius suggested as he pulled his boots back on. 

“I just want to try if the other drug makes you feel better. We might be able to reduce the dose if they help the way I hope they will.”

“Oh, I’d appreciate if I don’t have to take this stuff three times a day.”

Arthur chuckled. “You might still need to take it three times a day, but just one instead of two? We’ll see. I’ll write you the prescription and Merlin can bring it here when he flies out to Calgary the next time, alright?”

“Merlin.” Gaius looked at him and grinned. 

“Yes? What about him?” Damn, the heat rising to the tips of his ears certainly gave him away. 

“You seem to get along very well.”

“Yes, we do.” Arthur gave him a smile that he hoped was professional enough. “Who doesn’t get along with Merlin?”

Gaius chuckled and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair as he got up. 

The next couple of days were filled with mostly research. Lance had given him so many topics that he could get the kids’ attention with and he needed freshen up on his own knowledge and try to find a way to not let everything sound like a lecture. 

Percy helped with lots of info on the dangers of hunting. It turned out that Gwaine, who seemed to be the co-owner of the garage, went hunting a lot and so they both knew what to look for and what not to do. It seemed strange to Arthur to talk to children about hunting, but he suspected that they had been on hunting trips more often than he had. 

Gwen was an invaluable source of knowledge when it came to frostbites, so Arthur decided to start with that. Children played outside and could easily forget to wear their gloves, right?

After Lance introduced him to the children of Ealdor, Arthur found himself in the classroom with all eyes turned expectantly at him.

“Hello, good morning. My name is Arthur Pendragon and I’m a doctor.” That sounded like the AA meetings he had heard of and the way Lance was trying to bite a grin back, he must have noticed as well.

“Good morning, Doc Arthur.” The entire class chanted this back at him. 

Arthur wasn’t sure if he could do this. He was more a man of action, not a lecturer, but now he was here and he had to do something. 

“It’s nice meeting you all. I thought we’d look at a presentation first while I’m going to explain a few things and then you can ask me questions.” That was how presentations worked, right? The less than enthusiastic looks on the kids’ faces were discouraging, though. 

All of sudden, a big old dog came trotting from the back of the class and wagged its tail while it was sniffing the leg of his jeans. 

“Petey! Hi!” Leaning down to pet the dog, Arthur heard the class giggle. 

“Doc Arthur healed Petey’s hurt leg!” Mordred announced proudly from the back row. 

“Well, he basically healed himself but the bandage didn’t hurt.”

Very soon, the presentation was forgotten and the kids told him stories about injuries and illnesses – most of them not on the grave side – or asked him about the exciting life of a doctor in an A&E. 

After an hour, Lance released them to play in the school yard and Arthur let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding. 

“That went well.” Lance smiled.

Arthur shrugged. “We didn’t talk about anything I’d prepared…”

“Don’t worry about it. You made an impression and they got to know you. That was what I had hoped for. Some of the parents are so busy making a living that these children are basically on their own. They need to know that they can come to you for help if they think something is off.”

“I’m not a paediatrist, but I reckon I have to reread those chapters about childhood diseases.” Another thing he had to stack on his to-do list. 

“They like you.” Lance paused. “They might come to you with more than just childhood diseases.”

“What do you mean?” Arthur was alarmed. 

Lance leaned against his desk and sighed. “Some parents still think that a slap or two or a ‘good slapping’ hasn’t hurt anyone…” He made a face. 

“That’s abuse.” Something like that in a peaceful environment like Ealdor? Then again, parenting methods might be stuck in the 1960s here as most everything else was. “We need to do something about it.”

“It’s a rough life up here…which is no excuse I know, but maybe…if we work together…”

“That’s a given. They can always turn to us and…” Arthur tried to come up with something to do about this right that moment. 

“I thought…in one of your presentations that are so popular now…?”

If the topic hadn’t been such a harsh one, Arthur might have chuckled. He’d given a total number of two presentations so far. The first one where Mithy had dragged some women along and one about male health that had been attended by Merlin and Gaius. Nobody else. To call those evenings ‘popular’ was a crass exaggeration. 

The children came back into the class room, laughing and shouting. To think that just one of them was abused was one too many, so Arthur decided to talk this through with Gwen, so they could see what to do about it. 

“Are you going to stay for maths, Doc Arthur?”

“Tell us more about the A&E, Doc Arthur!”

“We didn’t see your presentation yet, Doc Arthur!”

They were shouting over each other and that made Arthur smile. 

“I’m sorry. I have to go back to the hospital now, there are patients waiting. It was good meeting you and I hope I didn’t bore you too much with my ramblings.”

The kids laughed. 

“And you all know where the hospital is, right? So if anything hurts or you’re feeling sick, don’t hesitate. Nurse Gwen and I are there for you.”

Lance nodded at him and Arthur raised his hand to wave, was stopped at the door by Petey, who didn’t let him leave before another thorough scratching and then he made his way back to the clinic.


	35. Chapter 35

Stepping out into the clear winter morning, Arthur took a deep breath. Just a few months ago, he would have claimed that breathing in air as cold as this would immediately ice his lungs; now he enjoyed the clean, cold air. 

Merlin was already rummaging around in his truck, waiting for him. “Are you coming?” He called through the open window. 

“I’m not sure I should do this.”

They had spent yet another night together and Merlin had talked him into coming along to Calgary on his flight. Merlin was right, he needed to go to the city to get a few things and a change of scenery wasn’t bad either. He remembered his last flight, the one out here, too vividly, though. 

“Of course you should.” Merlin grinned. 

Arthur climbed into the truck and swallowed hard. It would take them about 15 minutes to get to the airfield. Fifteen minutes in which he could change his mind. And look like the total coward that he was. 

“See, the weather is nice and clear, barely any wind out there, it’ll be a smooth flight.”

Alright, he would do it. He needed to practice. Who knew when and where he had to go in the not too far future? The prospect of finally getting back into civilization was not bad either, so he pulled himself up and climbed into the passenger’s seat. 

Oh Gosh, what was he doing? Why had he agreed to that? Even though Merlin threw him encouraging looks once in a while, Arthur was clinging to a handle and the seatbelt. 

“You can relax.” Merlin’s voice came over the headset. “Look at the landscape. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Most of the time, Arthur had his eyes squeezed shut, but now opened one to see what Merlin was talking about. Hadn’t he been so busy to fear for their lives, he would have admitted that Merlin was right. The trees, the rocks, the mountains, everything was covered in snow and the sun made the snow very bright and it glistened everywhere. This was what you imagined when you heard about winter wonderland. And yet, they were up high enough to fall to their certain deaths if something went wrong. 

“How did you get into the country when you’re so afraid of flying?” 

“Afraid? Me?” His own voice sounded a bit squeaky in his ears. Must have been this headset. 

“Oh, come on. Do you really think it helps clinging to the handle there if we had to do an emergency landing?” Merlin grinned. 

Yes. Yes, it would. “Emergency landing?”

“Don’t worry, just another hour and we have Calgary right in front of us.”

Arthur only relaxed slightly over the next 60 minutes. He had no issues with commercial planes. The real ones, the large ones. He could even look out of the window and admire the clouds from above, but this? This wasn’t a real airplane. It was a toy! And it was beyond him how Merlin could love zooming around in this all the time. But yes, the view was spectacular and as long as he focused on staring at the horizon, he could make it. 

With shaking legs, Arthur climbed out of Berta when Merlin signaled that they had reached their parking position. Taking a deep breath, he tried not to walk to wobbly as he followed Merlin into the airport building. 

“What are we going to do first?” Merlin seemed to have his routine and Arthur didn’t want to interfere. 

“First, we get the mail and all the packages for Ealdor.” Merlin pointed. “Over there. When I’m done loading them into Berta, I usually make the pharmacy run. You called them to make sure they have everything ready, didn’t you?”

“Gwen did.” As usual. It would be interesting to see where Merlin picked this stuff up. With a bit of luck, he could talk to the pharmacist there. Some things were easier if you knew each other face to face. “And then?”

“Depends on the weather.” Merlin peeked up at the sky. “If it doesn’t change, we can sneak away to have lunch or browse some shops for an hour or so.”

“And if it does change?” Arthur didn’t want to imagine flying back to Ealdor in a snowstorm or something similarly nasty. 

“Depends.” Merlin grinned. “If it gets too bad, we’ll just stay here.”

“Oh, good.”

They didn’t go very far and weren’t in the city center when they met the pharmacist and Arthur talked to her for a few minutes. There was nothing that needed to be brought back to Ealdor urgently, so they strolled through the adjacent shopping mall. 

Arthur looked around. Everything was decked out for Christmas, there were decorations everywhere and Christmas carols by all the popular stars came blaring over the speaker system. People were shouting and everybody seemed to be in a hurry. 

“What?”

Back in London, he wouldn’t even have noticed these things. It was normal that your ears got tortured with sounds all day long and blinking lights and grumpy shoppers were a normal occurrence at this time of year. 

“It’s loud.”

Merlin laughed. “That it is. But I know a little quiet pub just around the corner. They make some killer burgers.” He winked. 

“Oh, that sounds good.” Arthur was never averse to a good burger, but the ‘quiet’ in that sentence appealed to him more than he could put in words. 

After lunch, Merlin checked his watch. “We have to go. Unless…”

“Unless?”

“Unless you would like to stay for the night?” Merlin wiggled his eyebrows. 

For a moment, Arthur considered it. He hadn’t seen much of the city and Merlin knew his way around; he could show him the sights. Then again, the city itself was probably just as packed as the shopping mall had been, so… “Nah,” he shook his head. “Let’s go back and spend the night at your place. Or mine?”

Merlin grinned widely. “Mine is closer the airfield.”

“I like the way you’re thinking.”

When they made it back to Berta, Merlin looked at the sky again. 

“What? WHAT?”

“Nothing. Just…see how it’s overcast now? It wasn’t when we went for lunch.”

“And that’s a problem?” Staying in the noisy city all of a sudden became a very good option. 

Merlin shook his head. “It could become one if we waste time or wait until tomorrow. Hop in.”

Arthur wasn’t sure, but Merlin had already climbed in and was preparing for take-off, so he followed, double-checking if his seatbelt was on the right way and held on to that handle over the door really tight. 

He was totally worn out when they made it back to Merlin’s place and tiredly took his jacket off. 

Merlin grinned. “Come on, that wasn’t too bad.”

Arthur just threw him a look.

“It was just a bit of wind.”

“And it got dark and you had to land in a place we didn’t see.” Arthur pulled the boots off his feet and left them by the door. 

“But we made it back in one piece!” Merlin laughed. He seemed to have enjoyed the situation.

“Barely.”

Wrapping his arms around him, Merlin pulled Arthur close. “You don’t trust me.” He smiled.

“I do…I just don’t trust little flying tin cans!”

Merlin mock-frowned. “You just insulted my best friend Berta! I think you must be punished.” Squeezing Arthur’s behind, he pulled him over to the bedroom.


	36. Chapter 36

Arthur grinned as he saw the town gearing up for the holidays. As soon as someone had put some lights in a window, it was as if their neighbours had to outdo them and soon Arthur felt as if some electricity bills would explode this December. 

Gwen had put up some fake candles, so they wouldn’t set the hospital on fire and the days seemed to move a bit slower as not many patients came in. 

“So, did you ask Merlin?”

Arthur looked up from where he was reading a report. “About what?”

“The dance.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t make such a big thing out of it.”

“But Arthur!” She frowned. “The dance _is_ a big thing.”

Taking a deep breath, he put the papers down. “Is this the only thing happening here throughout the year? The annual Christmas dance?”

Gwen grinned. “Oh no, there’s the spring celebration and the summer fest and the fall festival, too! You will like that one. There are baking contests and decorations and people sell home-made food and of course, there’s always a dance.”

Arthur wasn’t convinced. He wasn’t too much of a dancer. 

“You just have to come. Merlin definitely will be there.”

He looked up again. “He never misses a party, does he?”

Gwen laughed. “Something like that. You should ask him to…I don’t know…show you the party…if you don’t dare asking him to the dance directly.”

“So, who asked you to the dance?” Arthur already knew the answer, but it was nice to see the smile on Gwen’s face. 

“Lance did yesterday and you know that.” 

“Nice.”

“It’s slow today…would you mind if I used the computer to order a new dress?”

Arthur laughed. “Did you ever ask that before?”

Gwen giggled. “Nope.”

“Order away.”

It was nice to see Gwen so happy and eager. 

Arthur tried to focus back on his report. Should he really ask Merlin out to the dance? That would make whatever they had so official. What if Merlin didn’t want it to be official and things would turn weird between them? Then again…Merlin wasn’t the damsel in distress who waited to be asked out, was he? He was the one who had initiated their very first date, so he sure would say something, right? Or maybe…because he had taken him to the river to see the ice sculptures and kissed him first…maybe now he waited for him to do something? Taking a deep breath, Arthur decided to address the dance when he saw Merlin next. Yes, that was the right thing to do. Just casually mention it and see how Merlin reacted. 

The front door opened and Arthur looked up. They didn’t expect any patients, so this could only mean it was an emergency. He jumped up from his chair.

“Hey, Merlin. Should I order this dress or that one?”

Arthur blinked. Merlin was here. He couldn’t help the goofy smile on his face. 

“Order them both and see which one looks better in person?” 

“Good idea! By the way, are you going to the dance?”

Arthur heard Gwen typing away as she ordered the desired dresses. 

Merlin chuckled. “Have I ever missed a single dance?”

“And you’re going with…?” 

Arthur rounded the corner just as Gwen grinned at Merlin. 

Merlin noticed him and his smile lit up the place. “Arthur, of course.”

So that was why Merlin hadn’t asked. Some things were so simple and he overthought them. “I have to warn you, I’m not a good dancer.”

“I don’t care.” Merlin shrugged and picked a Christmas cookie from the tin can Gwen had standing around. “I am going to dance with you anyway.”

Gwen looked from one to the other. “That’s settled then. When are you going to fly out to Calgary to pick up my new dresses?”

Merlin put a quick kiss on her cheek, which she dramatically brushed off as she yelled “Crumbs!”

“I’ll be back in time for you to look even more gorgeous than you usually do.”

“Oh, cut that out!” Gwen giggled. “So…want to look what we can order for you to wear?”


	37. Chapter 37

It was still a few days before the dance and Arthur spent all of his free time with Merlin. Of course they had a lot of great sex, but sometimes they just sat together. From his last flight, Merlin had brought back a book delivery and as they both wanted to read the new thriller that was on top of the best-seller lists everywhere, they had decided to read it to each other. 

Arthur had never known this kind of intimacy with anyone. Sometimes, he didn’t even listen to what Merlin was reading to him as he just snuggled against him and enjoyed his voice flowing over him. Merlin could have read the phone book of Calgary to him and he still would have had fun. 

“Oh, I didn’t see that coming, did you?”

“Huh?”

Merlin threw him a look and smiled gently. “You’re not even listening.”

Arthur chuckled. “I was listening. To your voice.”

“But not to the words.” Merlin leaned over and pressed a kiss on Arthur’s hair. 

“Not really.”

“Do you want me to repeat the last pages?”

“Nah, that’s okay. Just go on.”

Merlin chuckled. “You’re a weird one.”

Arthur just snuggled closer again and didn’t even protest. It was weird that he enjoyed this so much. Everyone he had ever been with before…Arthur couldn’t imagine himself in a situation like this with anyone else. Usually, it had been sex, a few kisses on the way out or turning to the other side to go to sleep. Now he wanted to be close to Merlin at all times and it wasn’t just about the sex. Arthur enjoyed the little things, too. Like when Merlin was chopping something up for dinner or when he had brought in firewood, put another log onto the fire and was just standing there to watch it burn. Arthur always just wanted to wrap his arms around him from behind and put his head on his shoulder and inhale his scent. He had never felt this urge with anyone ever before. Then again, he’d never had a fireplace before. 

“It’s no fun reading out loud to myself.” Merlin closed the book. “Let’s get some sleep.”

As they slid further under the covers, Arthur inhaled deeply. 

“What?”

“Do you have to go to Calgary tomorrow?”

Merlin smiled. “As always up here, it depends on the weather.”

“But if the weather is fine…”

“Then I’ll go.”

Arthur made a grumpy little sound and Merlin leaned in to kiss him. 

Fuck. How could the weather turn like this up here? The morning had been bright and sunny and now snow was coming down like crazy and Arthur had sent Gwen home a while ago. He hadn’t heard of Merlin yet but even though they wanted to make pizza for dinner, Arthur doubted that Merlin would be back. It was just too dangerous to fly. Hoping against hope that Merlin would come back, Arthur had missed the point where he still could have gone to the cabin. 

He decided that it didn’t make much sense to drive the old station wagon through these road conditions. For a moment, he had pondered going over to Merlin’s house and wait for him to get back, but that would have felt too strange. He was sure that Merlin wouldn’t mind him being there, but what would he do there on his own that he couldn’t do anywhere else? He would just stay at the hospital and get comfy on the old couch. Which wasn’t too bad, he had slept there before. The place was warm, the blankets soft and comfy and he had everything he needed right there, too. 

_How bad is it?_

Arthur blinked when he saw the message. 

_Bad. Stay where you are_ He wasn’t too happy about this, but it was true. He went to the window and snapped a photo, which was nothing more like a curtain of white. 

It took Merlin a while to answer. _Same here. Will stay. Stay safe!_

_You too_

So that was it, their wonderful evening full of pizza and company destroyed by stupid snow. Arthur sighed. He would just…he looked around…camp on the couch already and turn on the little TV set they had in the break room. 

What he hadn’t thought of was the fact that snowfall that heavy took out the signal and he could either watch one of the DVDs Merlin had left here the other day or a movie where he could barely make out the actors as the picture looked more like an ant race in a blizzard. Before he could decide, the phone rang. 

“Hey, Doc!”

“Leon!”

“Just saw the light on in the break room.”

Arthur grinned. He should have known that him staying on the couch there wouldn’t stay a secret for long. “Yes, that would be me.”

“Is everything alright? Anything I can do?”

“Nah, that’s fine. I just missed the moment where I could still have gone home, so I thought I’d better stay on the couch here. It’s comfy.”

Leon chuckled. “I had to stay there waiting for a suspect to wake up once. I remember it clearly. Is the old comforter still there? The red one?”

“Yes, it is. And we just washed it the other day.” Arthur huffed out a chuckle.

Leon grew serious again. “Hey, if you’d rather stay on my couch, come on over. Snow like this can be scary…”

“Are you saying that a bit of snow scares me?”

“No!” Leon laughed. “But you’ve probably never experienced anything like this before.”

“It’s alright. Fascinating. Never thought there could be so much snow, but I’m fine.”

“Merlin?” Leon asked. 

“He’s staying in Calgary, too dangerous to fly.”

“Good.” It was almost as if he could hear Leon nod. “Got enough food over there?”

Arthur chuckled. “Yes, I do. Mithy brought over too much for lunch, I can well survive for the next couple of days on this alone.”

“Alright. But…Doc?”

“Hm?”

“If you need anything, just call.”

“Will do, thank you. I appreciate it.”

Arthur hung up. He still hadn’t gotten used to this. Everybody knew everything about everyone and they all checked in on each other. Where he came from, nobody would have blinked an eye when they saw the lights on in the hospital at this hour. 

It seemed as if they all noticed. Whenever he hung up, the phone rang again. First Leon, then Gwen, then Mithy, Mr. Haderman from across the street and even Percy. How Percy could have seen the lights on in the hospital from the garage which was at the outskirts of town remained a mystery, but it was nice that they all called to ask if he was alright. They had kept him busy for about two hours and it was time to get some sleep anyway. 

Only then he picked up his mobile again. Merlin had sent a photo, about 40 minutes ago. The connection was bad and it took the device quite a while to download the entire photo. It showed Merlin on the bed in a very nice hotel room. Probably nothing luxurious by Arthur’s old standard, but it was a lot nicer than he had thought Merlin would choose. But he didn’t pay too much attention to the room itself. Merlin was on the bed. Naked. With a massive hard-on. Whoa!

Arthur swallowed hard as he felt his own dick swelling. What was he to do? Should he send Merlin a similar photo? Hectically, he looked around. He could hardly sprawl on the old couch, that wasn’t very sexy. Taking a deep breath, Arthur opened the door of his locker. There was a long mirror attached to the inside of the door. Should he really do that? 

He went out to the entrance first to double-check if the door was locked. Then he went back to the locker and pulled down his sweatpant. It took some doing before he had a shot that showed his arse clad in dark blue retro briefs in a nice way. Some pics only showed half of it, in others it looked way too fat, but this one was okay. Carefully pulling his sweatpants up again, he held his breath as he clicked ‘send’. 

_Thought you’d fallen asleep, you naughty boy!_ Once again it had taken a while for the picture to go through. Which was to be expected in this weather. 

Arthur was close to telling him about the many phone calls and that everyone was worried, but that would have taken the excitement out of their current conversation. Especially since Merlin had sent a pic with his hand around his dick. Arthur gasped as blood shot directly into his. 

He took another photo where he playfully pulled his briefs down and that showed that he was hard, too. It was a good thing that Merlin couldn’t see his face or else he would have made fun of his blush and the red ears. What was he doing?

For a while, nothing happened at all. Maybe Merlin hadn’t even gotten the pic yet? Arthur settled in under the blanket, clutching his mobile in one hand. If the conditions hadn’t been so bad and he hadn’t been stuck at the hospital, he would have started a video call, so he could really talk to Merlin and see him…whatever he was doing right now. His hand wandered to his dick that was still a bit stiff. 

The next photo coming in – and Arthur groaned in annoyance when it took forever to download – was one of Merlin’s face. Arthur blinked and then swallowed hard. It was the face Merlin made when he came. Blood shot back into his cock right away and Arthur shoved his hand into his pants. He didn’t need to pull more than three times before he, too, came. 

Panting hard, he had half a mind of snapping a photo of his satiated half-smile and pressed the send-button.


	38. Chapter 38

_Arty!_

His sister knew that he hated being addressed like this, but he smiled anyway. She had come up with the nickname when they were little and no matter how hard he wished that she would just forget about it, she just didn’t. 

_Wow, this is a nice holiday place you are in. Maybe I should come over for a quick visit?_

Err…no, probably not. Morgana would laugh her arse off if she saw what he had to make do with. 

_What’s this ‘dance’ you were talking about? It sounds like something from a sappy movie. Did you ask anyone out? Or have you been asked out?_

Arthur gnashed his teeth. Being someone who would never wait and rather ask the person herself, Morgana was always amused when Arthur waited for someone to act. 

_I hope you’re going to have fun. Gosh, you deserve it, being stuck in that remote location._

_I’ll try to call you on the holidays, so you better not hang up on me if it is late in the night for you. I was never good with time zones, you know._

Oh yes, he knew. Smiling, he remembered the time Morgana tried to call a crush from where they had accompanied father to a congress in Asia. She had not only woken up the boy but his entire family. Needless to say that didn’t work out for her. 

_Anyways, I hope you’ll be having lots of fun at your dance. Maybe with that nice pilot you keep mentioning?_

_Don’t let the polar bears eat you!_

_Morgana_

_Morgs!_

Turnabout was fair. He had called her that when he was too little to pronounce her name correctly. She didn’t like it either and so the nicknames had become a constant thing to tease the other with. 

_Trust me, you have never seen so much snow before. I wasn’t even aware of it being possible and temperatures so far below zero are something that should only exist in text books._

Did he want her to visit? Well, yes, why not? She would make fun of everything here, he knew that, but maybe she also saw the possibilities he had out here. 

_Postpone your visit until most of the snow is gone or else you will freeze to death._

Which would be in spring…maybe he wouldn’t even be around for that anymore?

_I expect the dance to be exactly like in those movies and I am sure I’ll stick out like a sore thumb if I wear anything else but jeans and flannel._

Which he would because he wouldn’t. This was his chance to wear the tailored suit he still had in the back of his closet and to look good for Merlin. 

_No asking out or being asked out was involved._ Which was the truth. Merlin had just assumed they would go there together and he hadn’t objected. Morgana didn’t need to know everything, especially since he didn’t know where this whole affair would lead to. 

In the last couple of emails, he would have agreed to being stuck in a remote location. Weirdly, everything in him tried to defend Ealdor now. But she mentioned ‘the nice pilot’, so better not go into detail or else she would put two and two together. 

_Call any time you like. If the weather doesn’t interfere with the connection, I might even answer the call._

He wouldn’t mind hearing her voice again. If she didn’t call, he would. 

_Will give you a full report on the dance._ No, he wouldn’t. 

And he couldn’t keep from correcting her even though she was just teasing. _Polar bears are not yet seen that far south. But I could offer you a giant moose by the name of Alfred as wildlife experience?_

_Arthur_


	39. Chapter 39

It was almost comical how excited the citizens of Ealdor became the closer the dance came. Arthur would take it for what it was. A gathering, some time to spend together in the middle of winter, maybe some networking, getting his face known by all those who hadn’t found their way to the clinic yet. 

But it wasn’t true. If he were honest, he had to admit that he was quite excited as well up to a point where he was almost anxious. What would the people of Ealdor say when they found out that their new doctor was dating their local sweetheart and pilot? He suspected that everyone knew already anyways. Gossip was travelling fast around here and people had noticed they were spending a lot of time together. 

Would it change the way they were behaving towards him? Some of them only slowly accepted him as the new doctor. The low attendance and the remarks made at his ‘health for men’ evening showed very clearly that most of them didn’t take any advice. And that wouldn’t turn to the better if they knew he was gay. He still wouldn’t hide that fact. He had never been someone to flaunt it, but there was no reason to hide it either. 

His sexuality had never been an issue before. Not even with his conservative father. When he had spent nights lying awake, worrying about how to tell him, father had been quite relaxed when he finally told him. It was more of a ‘Father…I’m gay.’ and ‘Alright…would you pass me the paper?’. Father probably had always known and for all his faults, he didn’t try to drag him to see therapists or push him together with every daughter of a business acquaintance. It was what it was and if he wanted to bring a boyfriend to a Sunday lunch, he could. Not that he did that often. For once, he didn’t have many boyfriends and then…whenever he tried, something went horribly wrong and he was missing the boyfriend before Sunday arrived. 

Taking a deep breath, Arthur looked up.

“What?” Merlin smiled at him. 

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing when you look like that.” 

Arthur threw Merlin a look. This whole thing was still so new and yet Merlin knew him very well. “I just wondered what the people of Ealdor will say when we show up at the dance together.”

Merlin came over and pressed a kiss on Arthur’s forehead. “You worry too much.”

“Hey, I know that some of them still don’t want me as their doctor here. And…liking men? On top of everything?” He knew the phrasing had been quite off when he saw Merlin barely holding a laugh in. “You know what I mean.” Playfully, he swatted at Merlin.

No longer being able to hold it in, Merlin laughed. “You like men on top of everything…interesting.”

“Well, at least on top of me, but that’s not the topic here.” Arthur stuck his lower lip out dramatically. 

“You’re such a drama queen. Why do you care so much about those who will not like it? There are enough people who will either congratulate us or not even blink an eye and go on with their lives. And those who don’t can just get over it.”

“What was it like when you moved to Toronto? Did they just get over it? I mean…the part where you got married? To a man?”

Merlin stretched his legs out in front of him. “I…don’t know.” He looked over. “And to be honest, I didn’t care either. This isn’t about them, Arthur. This is about us. But if you don’t want to, we don’t have to go.”

“But I want to. It’s just…if people don’t trust me enough to come to the clinic, I have failed.”

“No, you haven’t.” Merlin reached over and pulled him close. “It’s their decision. Being with a man doesn’t change who you are as a medical professional.”

Merlin was right and yet…

“Come here.” Merlin held out his arm.

Arthur shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Huh?”

“Forgot to put Alfred’s carrots out.” Arthur got up.

Merlin chuckled. “Finally you’re focusing on the important things.”

The big animal was still creepy, but Arthur thought he had developed a feel for the moose’s routine and tried to put carrots and left-over veggies out before he even showed up. Alfred seemed to be appeased with his offerings and had taken it upon himself to fertilize his backyard once in a while. 

Coming back in, Arthur shuddered and closed the door to the porch quickly. “Fuck, it’s cold.”

Merlin looked up. “Nobody said you should go outside without wearing a jacket. Didn’t the doc tell you that you can get sick from that?”

Arthur stomped his feet and rubbed his hands before he went to the fireplace and held them out to the warmth. He just threw Merlin a look on the way. 

“We need to do something against all the moose shit around the house.”

“Why?” Merlin got up to stand next to him.

“Won’t it stink in summer?”

Shaking his head, Merlin smiled. “He doesn’t come here often in summer. If he does, yes, it does stink, but it’s nothing you can’t fix by putting a few shovels of ground over it.”

“Why can’t he just bury his…residues?”

“Because he doesn’t have thumbs to hold a shovel.” Merlin kept a straight face for almost five seconds before he burst out laughing. “Did you know that there are companies that make paper out of the winter ‘residues’ of moose? You could collect it and sell it to them.”

Arthur sighed. “No, I didn’t and no, I won’t.” He didn’t need to know in the first place. Who on earth ever got the idea to make paper out of moose shit? “And why are we talking about moose shit anyway?”

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur’s waist and pulled him close. “I don’t know. Does it turn you on?”

“Hell, no!” Arthur chuckled. “You’re odd.”

“Takes one to know one.” Merlin grinned. 

Nuzzling into Merlin’s neck, Arthur stifled a yawn. It had been a long day and all the excitement about the next day had been exhausting. 

“Let’s go to bed.” Merlin suggested softly. “You have a big day ahead of you.”


	40. Chapter 40

Arthur turned around and reached for Merlin. “Do you really have to?” He was still half asleep when he felt Merlin trying to get up. 

Merlin leaned over and put a quick kiss on the tip of Arthur’s nose. “Yes, I really have to. I’ll make fire before I go, go on sleeping.”

Making a disapproving sound Arthur didn’t want to let go of Merlin’s wrist. 

“Come on, Arthur, the sooner I get out, the sooner I’ll be back.”

“What if you’re not?” Arthur grumbled.

Another kiss followed. “I’ll be back for the dance, I promise.”

Reluctantly, Arthur let go. Listening to Merlin rummage around the cabin, he fell asleep again. 

When he finally got up, he found the table neatly set and breakfast prepared. All he had to do was make some toast or eggs or whatever he wanted and enjoy. On his plate, he found a little note. 

_Love ya,  
M._

Arthur’s heart was beating faster. Since that night when Merlin had taken him out to see the ice sculptures and they had talked until it almost got light again, they had spent most of their time together. They enjoyed each other’s company, the snogging was great and the sex? Out of this world. Nobody had mentioned anything about love, though. Arthur knew he was feeling a lot for Merlin. He had feelings he never had before with any of his former boyfriends. Was Merlin his boyfriend? Well, what else would he be? That Merlin just left him this little note…seemed he was feeling the same. A wide smile spread on Arthur’s face as he took a hearty bite out of his toast. 

The day started bright and sunny, just like his mood and Arthur smiled at everyone he met. Some of them threw him odd looks, obviously he didn’t smile at them often enough. 

“Oh, someone’s in a good mood.” Gwen grinned. 

Arthur laughed. “And I see someone else who is in a good mood. Looking forward to tonight?”

She nodded. “I hope Lance likes my new dress.”

“I’m sure he does.” Arthur was sure Lance didn’t. Men didn’t care about new dresses or fancy hairdos. He was certain that Lance would prefer Gwen out of the dress and chuckled. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“So…” Gwen poured a mug of coffee and held it out to him when he finally was done exchanging his boots for runners. 

“Thanks.” Even the coffee tasted better today.

“Will you be there?”

“At the dance? Yes, I think so.”

“Without Merlin?”

Arthur looked up. 

“What do you mean? He said he’ll be back on time.” 

Gwen threw him a look and then looked out the window with ostentation. 

Arthur followed her gaze and saw big clouds coming in. “They…they will go away, right?”

Sighing, Gwen made it clear that she didn’t think so. 

And she was right. The further the day went on, the more clouds came in and it got really foggy. Arthur’s heart sank. Merlin would be stuck in Calgary for the night. 

It wasn’t the first time this happened, but why did it have to be tonight? It was the first time they wanted to do something together in public. Well, most everything you did here in Ealdor was in public as there weren’t many things to do and someone was always around. Arthur was sure that everyone knew that Merlin and he had something going. They had decided to go to the dance just to make it clear and leave no room for speculations. With Merlin being stuck in Calgary, they couldn’t. And he would stand around alone at the dance, trying to fight off the advances made to him. And Merlin would be alone in Calgary and miss the party he’d been looking forward to so much. 

They closed the hospital early and Arthur watched Gwen bouncing off after fidgeting around the entire morning. Nobody had come in and everybody knew where to find them, so they could lock up after half a day. The day that had started too bright and sunny had turned into low-hanging clouds and lots of fog. 

Sighing, Arthur pulled out his mobile.

 _Weather turning bad here. Stay where you are._ He needed to let Merlin know that it was alright. 

_Almost on way to airfield. Dress up, I want that first dance._

Arthur swallowed. Merlin was the pilot and he had grown up around here, he should be able to judge the situation a lot better than him, but Arthur didn’t have a good feeling about this. 

_Don’t take risks. Going to dance with you some other time. Party not so important. Stay safe!_

_Will do_ Came back immediately. What did that mean now? Arthur hoped with all his heart that Merlin did the reasonable thing and stay in the city for the night.


	41. Chapter 41

It felt odd to wear this suit again. Arthur had packed it with high-flying ideas of having to represent the hospital and to always be dressed well. Just like his crisp, white shirts, the suit had been hanging in the back of his closet all these months and jeans, a knitted sweater and thick boots had become the things to wear. Today, he wanted to look good and it didn’t matter that Merlin wasn’t there. Well, it did, it took the entire meaning out of this evening, but Arthur didn’t even have anything else to wear. He could hardly show up to the party in his everyday clothes. 

Trying to get some shape into his hair, he gave up after a while and wished he had gone to see the barber as most Ealdorians had in the past week. Around here, you learned very quickly that evolution knew what it was doing by having your hair grow. Even though most of the time it was hidden underneath bulky hats of various grades of ridiculousness, it still kept your head warm. Giving up and just running a hand through it, Arthur finally reached for his jacket and gloves to make his way to the pub. 

There were various shouts of “Doc!” and “Arthur!” when he entered and put his jacket on the heap of coats at the entrance. They all looked so much alike that he wondered how anyone would be able to find their own again when they left. Someone pushed a mug of eggnog into his hand and there were quite a few comments on his outfit. Some of the men were dressed in ill-fitting mail-order suits, other had decided that wearing a clean shirt was all the dressing-up they would do. Once again, Arthur felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb in his tailored suit and nice leather shoes. Alright, they weren’t as nice as when he had brought them, clearly taking offence in him wearing them out into the snow, but he had salvaged what could be salvaged. 

Arthur looked around as he sipped the eggnog. Whoa, that was strong, but that was to be expected here. Mithy waved from behind the bar and he smiled and nodded as a greeting. There was a huge Christmas tree in the front corner that had all kinds of decoration on it. It seemed that everybody had just brought what they could spare and tossed it on the tree. Not one single thing matched the other. Kids were running about and someone was playing some tunes on the old piano that desperately needed a thorough tuning. 

Arthur just smiled at all the “Oh, looking good tonight, Doc”s and the “Trying to impress someone, Doc”s that were thrown his way and a calm feeling came over him. It seemed as if they knew very well who he was trying to impress and nobody blinked an eye. 

Gwaine stepped up to him. “Merlin should be here any minute.”

“What?” 

He had met Gwaine when he had picked up Merlin when he came back from a flight. Gwaine, like a lot of people in Ealdor, had a lot of different jobs. He was there to see the planes landing and taking off, being the local tower – which was just a wooden shed at the side of the airstrip. He went out hunting a lot and provided game for the town. He was also Percy’s partner at the garage and seemed to have a natural instinct for everything mechanical. Arthur wasn’t sure yet of just how much of a partner Gwaine was to Percy, but the way people talked about ‘Percy and Gwaine’, usually not mentioning one without the other, it was safe to assume that they were a couple. 

Which was kind of funny. Percy, the mountain of a man, almost stoic in everything he did, not even talking in full sentences most of the time as he just didn’t think they were necessary and Gwaine, the quirky, quick-witted rogue who seemed to be everywhere and couldn’t be found when he was needed. 

But none of this was important now. “What?” Arthur repeated. 

“I said,” Gwaine repeated very slowly, “that Merlin should be here soon.”

“No.” Arthur shook his head. “He flew out to Calgary this morning.”

“I know.” Gwaine nodded. “I better get to the airstrip to lure him in.”

Arthur stared. “He stayed in Calgary as the weather has turned so nasty.”

Gwaine threw him a sideways look. “You must have some tricks up your sleeve that he comes back anyway.”

Paling, Arthur set his mug down on the next available surface. “You’re saying…”

“He’s on his way back.”

“In this weather?”

Gwaine shrugged. “Told him not to, but he insisted on dancing with you tonight.”

“Fuck.” Arthur closed his eyes and hot and cold shivers ran down his spine. “I told him to stay.” A cold fist started to clench around his heart. Merlin was out there, flying in the fog and the clouds. Yes, he was an extraordinary pilot, but Berta was just a small plane and every gust of wind could blow her out of the skies. 

“I better get going, he’s going to need all the help he can get to bring her down.” Gwaine reached for his coat. 

“I’m coming.” 

“No, Doc.” Gwaine shook his head. “The shed is just big enough for one person, you’ll only be in the way. Wait here.” With that, he pulled the hood of his coat up and left the pub.


	42. Chapter 42

Arthur didn’t know what to do with himself. He texted Merlin at least 10 times, fully well knowing that he wouldn’t read messages while he was flying. He might not even receive them in this weather. Looking out of the window, he checked again and again, but neither Gwaine nor Merlin were approaching. 

Mithy stepped up to him. “He’ll be here.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Arthur just threw her a look.

“He’s been flying out here since he’s been a little kid, he knows what he’s doing.”

Arthur wasn’t convinced. It was dangerous landing on that little airstrip on a good day. It wasn’t a good day and it was dark now. “I can’t wait here, I need to go to…”

“No,” she put a hand on his arm to hold him back. “There is nothing you can do out there. Stay here.”

“Can we call Gwaine in the shed?”

“We could, but he’s probably busy helping Merlin land.”

“I told him to stay, it is too dangerous. Why didn’t he listen?”

Mithy smiled gently. “I suppose, he likes you.”

What good was that for if Merlin didn’t come back? Arthur’s mind provided horrible pictures of plane crashes. If Merlin was out there somewhere in the woods, it might take until spring to find him. Arthur swallowed hard. 

When Leon announced he would go out to the airstrip to check on them, Arthur wanted to come along. 

“In your suit and tie? You’ll freeze your bullocks off.” One of the men pointed out. 

He was right and so Arthur stayed at the pub, but his anxiety grew by the minute. He didn’t even notice that the music had stopped and the loud talk and laughter turned into soft murmurs. Once in a while, someone came over to squeeze his shoulder or to just keep him company for a few minutes. 

Finally, at the horizon, Leon’s truck approached.

Was that good news or bad? Did Leon come to break the news that Merlin hadn’t made it? Or picking him up to patch Merlin together? Arthur felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

When the passenger door of the truck opened and Merlin climbed out, Arthur let out a breath that he had been holding for hours. 

Running to the door, ignoring the cold, Arthur wrapped Merlin up in his arms and kissed him deeply. 

“Let’s get inside.” Merlin mumbled against his lips. 

Helping him in, it was clear that Merlin wasn’t okay. 

“Merlin! Why? Come on, you should have stayed in Calgary!” Arthur tried to help him out of his coat but Merlin shook his head. 

“Let me wear this for a while.”

Leading him over to the fireplace, Arthur pushed Merlin into a chair someone provided. “Where does it hurt?” He had no idea what had happened, but of course the doctor in him took over. 

Merlin leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “This was just a lot more exhausting that I thought it would be.”

Mithy brough hot tea and a blanket over and after a while, Merlin looked more lively and started to take off his coat. Arthur hadn’t left his side. 

“Are you alright, Merlin?”

“Yes…a bit cold probably…” He held out a hand that was wrapped around the mug for a while and Arthur could feel that his fingers were still colder than they were supposed to be.

They moved over to the booth next to the fireplace and Mithy brought Merlin a bowl of soup. “Here, eat, it’ll warm you up.”

After a couple of spoons, Merlin fully took off his coat. His face was glowing and Arthur noticed how he was constantly moving his feet underneath the table. 

“Feet?”

“Cold.”

“Are you still feeling your toes?”

“Yeah, it’s coming back.”

People came over to check if Merlin was alright and more than one joked that ‘The good doctor here can make sure you’ll warm up again tonight.’. There was a slight blush burning on Arthur’s cheeks, but he fully intended on doing just that. 

“Merlin, why didn’t you stay in Calgary?” It sounded a lot more accusing than he had intended. 

Merlin shrugged and grinned as he shoveled another spoon full of soup into his mouth. “Couldn’t risk anyone here snatching you from underneath my nose while I was gone.”


	43. Chapter 43

After a while, Merlin’s cheeks were still glowing and Arthur hadn’t let go of his hands to warm them between his, but Merlin seemed to be alright. It had gotten late and Arthur hadn’t even noticed that people had started dancing and there was some singing, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Merlin. 

“Please…”

“Huh?”

“Never do anything like that again, promise.”

Merlin grinned. “Stop giving me speeches. I’m doing that to myself already. It was dangerous, it was foolish, I know.”

“Then why didn’t you just turn around when you noticed that it would be difficult to get here?”

The grin on Merlin’s face turned soft. “I needed to see you.”

“Merlin…not at the price of probably not being able to see me ever again. Promise.” 

After a while, Merlin nodded. “Alright. If something like that happens again, I’ll stay put, no matter what the dance, the birthday, Christmas or whatever it is.”

“Promised?”

“Promised.”

People were stopping by their table and of course Leon came over to give Merlin a reminder of how dangerous it was what he had done. Even Gwaine showed up and squeezed himself into the booth. 

“That was quite the stunt you pulled there.” Gwaine raised his glass.

“Couldn’t have done it without you.” Merlin smiled. 

Turning to Arthur, Gwaine took a sip of his beer. “Did he ever tell you the story of…”

Percy had stepped up to the table and pulled Gwaine up by his upper arm. 

“Hey!”

The tall man just looked at him. “You were invited to another date.”

Gwaine grinned and leaned against Percy. “Are you going to buy me another beer?”

“Of course.”

Merlin chuckled when they were gone again. 

“Is he always like that?”

“Gwaine? Yes.”

Arthur was still holding Merlin’s hand, even though his fingers had a normal temperature now. “And that story he wanted you to tell me?” He had the feeling that this wasn’t the first reckless thing Merlin had pulled off.

Shaking his head, Merlin grinned. “Is for another day.”

“Hey, listen…how about we just get you back to the house, so you can take a shower and get some sleep?” Arthur could see that Merlin was dead on his feet. He had no idea what had happened out there, but he was sure it had been dangerous and exhausting. Slowly, he pulled Merlin up and looked around for their jackets. 

“There’s one more thing I need to do before we leave.” Merlin smiled. 

“Alright?”

Merlin held out his hand. “Would you dance with me?”

Arthur didn’t hear the wolf-whistles and the calls as Merlin lead him to the dance floor. He knew he wasn’t a good dancer but didn’t care what it looked like. He only had eyes for Merlin. 

“You look so good in this suit.” Merlin whispered close to his ear. “Like a present that I need to unwrap.”

Blushing, Arthur couldn’t come up with a reply. He wasn’t used to getting compliments. “Probably not here?”

Merlin huffed out a chuckle and pulled him closer. 

Their dance ended way too soon and Arthur couldn’t remember what the song was they had been dancing to. They had probably danced to their own music, as clichéd as it was. 

“Thanks for waiting for me today and thanks for the dance.” 

Before he could say anything, Merlin was kissing him. Not just a shy peck on the lips, a real kiss, like the ones they shared when they were alone on a Sunday afternoon with nothing else to do but necking. In the middle of the make-shift dance floor with all of Ealdor watching. Arthur’s eyes slid shut and he welcomed Merlin’s tongue against his. 

With a sigh, they broke apart and stood for a moment with their foreheads touching until the sounds around them finally came back to them. 

Arthur felt a blush high on his cheeks. He hadn’t planned to make out with Merlin for everyone to see. Merlin, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind a bit and grinned at all the remarks thrown their way as they made it to the pile of jackets to find Arthur’s, so they could leave. 

When Arthur’s zipper got stuck, Merlin reached over, fiddled with it for a while and then pulled it up all the way. Leaning in for another quick kiss, he also pulled the hood of Arthur’s coat up over his head. 

Nobody disturbed their preparations and Merlin waved in the general direction of the room, nobody in particular and they left.


	44. Chapter 44

“I really need to know, Tommy.” Arthur carefully removed the broken cast. 

“Hm?”

“How did you do it?”

“How did I do what?” Tommy Bailey looked up at him with wide eyes and then ouched when the remainders of the cast touched his arm. 

Arthur tossed the cast aside and looked at the arm before he put a new cast on with Gwen’s help. 

“This is the second time you broke the cast. If you keep this up, we’ll be running out of plaster bandage before the year ends.” 

Tommy squirmed a bit. “We were playing hockey.”

Arthur noticed Gwen biting her lower lip to not grin. “I know that you did when you broke the arm, but what do you do to break the cast again and again.”

The boy didn’t say anything for a moment before he whispered. “Hockey?”

Sitting down on the little stool, so he was eye to eye with the boy who sat on the gurney, Arthur blinked. He hoped he had understood this incorrectly. “You…you were playing hockey…with a broken arm?”

“Well…yeah…” The boy shrugged. 

Gwen feigned a little cough to mask the laugh that was obviously bubbling up. Arthur didn’t know if she was laughing at the boy or at him. 

“Tommy…” Arthur sighed. “Your arm is broken. Do you understand what that means?”

“Yes, you showed me on the picture.”

They had looked at the Xray together. The quality of the machine wasn’t very good as it was as ancient as most everything around here, but it had shown the facture clearly and Arthur had tried to explain in simple words what it meant. 

“And you remember what I said?”

Tommy nodded. “That the bone is in two pieces and needs to heal back together.”

“And what did I tell you not to do?”

“Too much?”

Now Arthur had to bite back the grin. “And by that I meant, you need to give this arm some rest. It can’t heal back together if you go out and play hockey all the time.”

“But I love playing hockey!”

“I know. The more rest you give your arm now, the sooner the bone has healed and the sooner you can go back on the ice.”

Tommy’s lower lip came out in a pout. “But…”

“No hockey for now, alright?”

It took the boy a while to nod and when he said “Alright.” it sounded like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

“No other kinds of sport either. No sledging, no driving a snowmobile, nothing for a while.” 

“But…”

“No but.” Arthur smiled gently as he got up and tossed the rubber gloves into the bin. “Doctor’s orders.” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “And look at the nice, new cast you have. It has to dry for a bit. Nurse Gwen will tell you when you can go.”

He turned to the computer to add what they had to do to the boy’s file. 

“I’ll clean up.” Gwen nodded when Arthur turned to leave the room. “But I could do with a tea.” 

Even though she said it to no one in particular, Arthur chuckled. “Understood. And you take good care of yourself, Tommy.”

“Bye, Doc.”

Other than that, it was a slow day and when he brewed the tea, he heard Tommy leaving the clinic. 

Gwen came into the break room and stretched. “I’m not sure I like days like these.”

“Me neither.”

“Do you always have the feeling that a slow day means more work in the upcoming days? Because that’s what I think. It’s like the quiet before the storm.”

“It’s something that always is like that in the A&E. And when you caught a quiet night shift and someone mentioned it is, usually all hell breaks loose.”

“So I better not jinx it, is that what you’re saying?” 

Arthur grinned and nodded. 

Gwen stretched her legs in front of her. “What are you doing for Christmas?”

“Not much.” Arthur shrugged. 

“You haven’t talked about it?”

“No, not really. I guess we’ll spend it either at the cabin or Merlin’s place with a good book or a movie or something.”

Gwen laughed. “You still have a lot to learn about Merlin.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“You should talk to him.”

Gwen’s words didn’t leave him alone. How else would you celebrate a day off? A good book that they could read to each other or a movie they could watch and snuggle up, that was perfect. 

“Merlin?” When he entered Merlin’s house, it already looked like a Christmas bomb had dropped. 

“Hey Arthur!” Merlin was on top of a ladder, trying to adjust some ornaments on a Christmas tree that was definitely too large for his living room. “Perfect timing! Hand me the tree topper, please.”

Obediently, Arthur got the glass ornament out of the box and handed it over. “You didn’t tell me you’d go into full North Pole mode.”

“It’s great, isn’t it?” Merlin beamed. “Everything has to look nice when they come over.”

“Who? When? What?”

Merlin climbed off the ladder and set it aside. He stepped back to admire his work. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? The guys are coming over for Christmas Eve dinner.”

“The…guys?” Arthur wasn’t sure if he liked the sound of that. 

When he was content with the look of the tree, Merlin turned to Arthur and pressed a quick kiss on his lips. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Arthur blinked. Merlin was good at diverting the topic. “What do you mean…the guys are coming over?”

“I mean what I say. We’re going to have a few guests for Christmas.”

“Wait…wait a minute…for Christmas, too?”

Merlin shrugged. “Depends on how the party turns out.”

“The…party.” Arthur sank down on the arm of the couch. “Could you rewind and start at the beginning?”

When Merlin was done with his report, Arthur just blinked. There went his time off, his snuggle time with Merlin. It seemed as if Merlin was hosting half of Ealdor each Christmas Eve and if the party got too out of hand, he woke up in the morning to find his guests still sleeping on the couch or wherever they had found a place to fall asleep on. And if that wasn’t enough, Merlin was cooking up a storm and had already assigned him some jobs. 

“But the clinic is open for half a day, I have to work.”

Merlin snorted. “Do you really think they wouldn’t find you here if an emergency comes up?”

“They do, but…”

“Gwen will be here, too, so why would you be bored on your own over there when we can all have fun here?”

There didn’t seem to be a way around it. Arthur sighed and then looked up when Merlin stepped close. 

“And when you recovered from this party…we will go to the pub for New Year’s Eve. The parties there are legendary.”

Arthur groaned and leaned his face against Merlin’s chest.

Merlin gently combed his fingers through Arthur’s hair. “You don’t sound thrilled.”

“To be honest…” The fingers in his hair felt nice but Arthur pulled back and sighed. “I had hoped for a very quiet Christmas and New Year’s, too.”

“Oh.”

Oh? They were together for a few days and already ran into problems? Arthur sighed again. 

“Hey,” Merlin reached for his chin and tilted his face up. “How about…we throw everyone out after the party and have Christmas all to ourselves? Or we just leave them here and go to your house? And the same for New Years?”

“Like…to relax from partying too hard?”

Merlin grinned. “Something like that?” Then the grin fell off his face. “But if you don’t want to, that’s okay. Don’t feel pressured to…”

Arthur smiled. “I can live with that. You don’t pressure me to do anything…well, maybe to chop up all the things for the dinner, but as long as I have you to myself for Christmas and New Year’s, I’ll be fine.”

Leaning down Merlin kissed him gently. 

Just as Arthur wanted to reach for him and pull him down on the couch, Merlin pulled back. 

“Great! On to the decorations, then.” Merlin looked around.

“Even…more…decorations?”


	45. Chapter 45

“Mmm, Merlin, you’ve outdone yourself. Again!” Percy helped himself to more vegetables after holding out his plate for another helping of turkey. 

Merlin handed bowls around and filled plates and hadn’t stopped beaming since everyone had arrived. “I couldn’t have done it without my trusty kitchen crew Gwen and Arthur.”

Gwen giggled and Arthur huffed out a chuckle. He hadn’t done much but standing in the way and once in a while being assigned to chopping duties.

“Gwen is the best when it comes to finishing dishes. She always knows how to tickle the best out of everything with herbs and spices.” Merlin had stepped behind her chair and leaned down to put a kiss on her cheek that got him a sideways look from Lance. “And Arthur…well, let’s just say we’re all happy that he didn’t cut his fingers off while cutting up the bell peppers.”

“Hey!” Arthur protested. “I’m a surgeon! Give me scalpel and I’ll carve the Eiffel Tower out of that bell pepper!” Not that he had any carving skills whatsoever, but he could handle a scalpel. 

Everyone laughed and Arthur was just about to defend his skills a bit more when his mobile rang. Apologetically, he got up. It might be an emergency, but then he smiled when he saw the caller ID. 

“Morgs!” Holding one ear shut with his fingers, he tried to find a calmer place, which wasn’t too easy. Ah, the bedroom did it.

“Hey Arty! Am I interrupting something?”

“Nah, it’s just…Merlin invited everyone to his house and we cooked and now we’re having dinner.”

“Merlin…” Arthur could hear the smile in her voice. 

“Yes, Merlin.”

“The pilot, right?”

“Yes, the pilot.”

Morgana giggled. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Arthur felt the heat rising on his face. “No, not really.”

“Hey, I’m happy if you found someone to make those long winter nights more interesting.”

“How are you, Morgs?” He was so not going to discuss his sex life with his sister. Even though she always had his back, she was teasing him enough. 

“I’m good. I just wanted to hear your voice. Tell me about Christmas in Ealdor.”

For a couple of minutes, Arthur described what the buildings looked like, how everybody had been in a decorating frenzy and that Merlin’s place seemed to be Decoration Central. He told her about the people who had squeezed around Merlin’s table and the food they had made. 

“Sounds lovely.”

Arthur took a deep breath. “It is.”

“You know what? Go out there again, put me on speaker and put the phone on the table.”

Obediently, he did, unsure of what his sister would have to tell them. 

Talks died down and they all looked expectantly at the phone. 

“Go ahead.” 

“Am I on?” Morgana asked. “Hi! I’m Morgana and I’m Arthur’s sister, calling all the way from London to see how my little brother is fairing. It’s nice to hear that he has found such great friends. Anyways, I don’t want to take up too much of your precious time. Just wanted to say Happy Holidays! Bye!”

She had hung up and Arthur reached for his mobile to put it back into his pocket. All eyes were trained on him when he looked up again.

“You never told me that you have a sister.” Gwen looked at him. 

Arthur shrugged. “I didn’t know I was supposed to put up my family tree. Yes, that was Morgana.”

A vivid discussion ensued about siblings and they wanted to know if Morgana was older or younger and when they would meet her. 

Not if I can help it, but Arthur didn’t say that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her, it was more that he had a hard time picturing her being in an environment like this. He felt oddly defensive when he imagined Morgana taking everything in this town apart with one look. “Probably when the weather gets better.”

“So, what’s she doing? For a living, I mean.” Mithy asked. 

“Yeah, maybe we do have a job for her here, too?” Leon grinned and shoved another piece of turkey in his mouth. 

Arthur laughed. “I doubt that there is such a need for plastic surgeons around here.”

“She’s a doctor, too?” Merlin looked at him. 

“Yeah…” Arthur shrugged. “Runs in the family, kind of.”

“You’re a GP, she’s a plastic surgeon…”

“I’m not a GP.” The words were out of his mouth before Arthur could stop them. 

The table fell quiet.

“I…alright, I’m a GP for now, but actually I’m a surgeon as well. Just not plastic surgery. I patch people back together in the A&E.” Holding his breath, Arthur waited for reactions. 

“Wow,” Gwaine nodded. “That’s a bit more exciting that treating rashes and hemorrhoids in Ealdor.”

A bit, yes. Then again, finding out what those things were that bothered people when they didn’t have an emergency was not bad either. 

Lance sipped his beer. “So I guess you didn’t have much free time on the holidays?”

Arthur was rather grateful for this question. “No, I usually took the shifts the others didn’t want to. And you wouldn’t believe how busy the holidays are. Christmas, New Year’s Eve, all that jazz, people go crazy.”

“You’ve been working all through the holidays?” Mithy shook her head. “You should be happy to be here now. You can enjoy Christmas with your friends.” She smiled. 

Arthur looked from one to the other. It was strange. This Christmas was so different from all the others he ever had. Was it because…he had friends? He’d had friends before, just not like this. Last year, he wouldn’t have been able to imagine being in a remote little town, in a house that was full of Christmas decoration and people and him having so much fun. When he felt Merlin’s leg pressed against his under the table, he smiled at him and raised his glass.


	46. Chapter 46

Christmas morning came bright and clear. Together, they had cleaned up the night before and nobody had been too drunk to go home, even though Arthur suspected that Gwaine probably had no memory of how Percy had all but hauled him into the truck before they left in the middle of the night. 

When Arthur woke up, he felt a bit hung-over, which was probably just because they had gone to bed rather late. Merlin wasn’t at his side, but the house already smelled of pancakes and coffee. Stretching and yawning, Arthur sat up and looked around for his hoodie. 

After a little detour via the bathroom, Arthur entered the kitchen. “Morning.” He smiled tiredly when he saw Merlin rummaging around. 

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Merlin turned to press a little kiss on Arthur’s lips before he focused back on the pancakes that he stacked on a plate. Handing the plate to Arthur, he beamed. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas.” Arthur looked at the plate. “This is for both of us, right?”

“Nah, those are yours.”

“And you expect me to eat them all?”

Merlin stuck his lower lip out in theatrical pout. “I made them for you.”

Arthur chuckled as he sat down at the nicely set table. “You want me to get fat!”

“No, I want you to keep your energy for what we are going to do today.” Merlin sat into the chair opposite Arthur and reached for the maple syrup. 

Arthur waited for Merlin to be done and then helped himself to a generous amount of the sticky sweet stuff. “And what exactly is that going to be?” He looked up and wiggled his eyebrows. 

Merlin laughed. “I like the way you’re thinking, but I thought we might go for a walk first? And…we could take the sled along?”

“The sled?” The thought of leaving the cozily warm house to have a walk in the icy cold wasn’t too nice, but…a sled?

“Yes.” Merlin beamed. “There’s a hill outside of town, we could have some fun with the sled and then come back when we worked off all those calories and then…I don’t know, have some left-overs from yesterday?”

He hadn’t been sledding since…Arthur couldn’t remember. Did that one time when they were in Switzerland and tried to get down the hill on those big tube things count? Merlin was right, though, after all they had been stuffing their faces with, they need to go outside and get moving. Maybe the sled thing was more fun than trudging through the snow? “Okay.”

And so he let himself be dragged outside, bundled up with scarf and hat and gloves and all the other things you needed here not to freeze to your death. Arthur remembered many Christmas Days where he stumbled out of the A&E after yet another exhausting double shift and not even zipping up his jacket on his way home. Now he was trudging after Merlin, who didn’t seem to have a walk in mind at all, but was heading straight for that hill outside of town. 

It should have looked odd that two adult men were dragging a sled behind them, but obviously they weren’t the only ones as Arthur could hear voices and laughter the closer they got. Half of Ealdor had assembled here and it looked as if it didn’t matter that most of them had outgrown that sledding-age. 

There were shouts of ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’, people stopped to chat and when they finally made it down the hill on their sled, they were challenged by Percy and Gwaine for a race. It didn’t stay the only one and a few hours later, Arthur’s legs were hurting from climbing up the hill over and over again and his face was glowing, but almost aching from all the laughing he had done. More often than not, they had landed in the snow and Arthur was starting to freeze. 

It was already getting dark again when they said their good-byes and wandered back to the house. 

They were warming up again in front of the fireplace. 

“I’ll never get used to this.” Arthur chuckled.

“What? Why?”

“Here I am, having a day off on Christmas for the first time in forever and I willingly go sledding with half of Ealdor.” 

Merlin pressed a kiss into his hair. “I’m sorry.”

Looking up, Arthur shook his head. “What for?”

“Dragging you out there. I promised you a calm and quiet day and now I did this.” Merlin made a face.

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t half bad.” Arthur tried to get up to get them more hot chocolate. “Ouch.”

“What’s wrong?”

Dramatically, Arthur pressed a hand into the small of his back and limped towards the kitchen. “I’m getting too old for adventures like this.”

Merlin just laughed.


	47. Chapter 47

“Slow day,” Gwen said to nobody in particular, even though only Arthur was there. 

“Yeah.” Arthur nodded. It was odd. Usually, around the holidays, the hospitals were packed. Here, they didn’t even have to treat someone who overate and had a stomachache. “You know what?”

“Hm?”

“How about, we put a sign on the door that I’m on on-call duty and that we’ll be back after New Year’s?”

Gwen’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Yes, really. We deserve a couple of days off and Ealdor usually knows where to find me when they need my help.”

“It’s not difficult to know where you are.” Chuckling, Gwen went to rummage around their storage room for a piece of carton that was big enough for their message. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re usually either at Merlin’s house or at the cabin…with Merlin.” She laughed. 

That was true and the people of Ealdor knew about it. 

Together, they put up the sign, got changed and left. 

“But you call me when something comes up!” Gwen warned him as she pulled the knitted hat a bit deeper. 

“Of course I will.” Gwen deserved a few days off and if there was anything at all, Arthur was sure he could handle it himself. 

“You know where to find me, right?”

Arthur laughed. “Lance’s house is not too far away, so…” He shrugged. “Tell him I said hi.”

Gwen laughed, too. “Will do. Enjoy your time off!”

When Arthur stomped the snow off his boots on the steps to Merlin’s house, Merlin’s face appeared at the window. Beaming, he opened the door.

“What are you doing here already?”

Arthur pulled the hat off his head and tried to toe his boots off at the same time before he entered the house. Leaning in for a quick kiss, he opened his coat and then hung it up by the door. “We decided to close the hospital for a few days.”

“Close?”

“Well, not close-close, but…nobody wanted an appointment for anything and they usually know where to find me if there’s an emergency.” Arthur grinned. 

“So…we have the day to ourselves?” Merlin’s grin got impossibly wider. 

“We have until after New Year’s to ourselves.” At least Arthur hoped they would. Usually, when he said something like that, he jinxed it. 

“Great!”

Arthur enjoyed the day to the fullest. Usually, when he had a day off, he either packed errands into it or something came up and he had to run about. Or, on the few occasions that had happened, he’d spent the day in bed with a new boyfriend. It was different with Merlin. Not that he would have minded if Merlin had ripped his clothes off of him and taken him over the back of the couch right away, but it was nice that he didn’t feel the urge to do something or say something just to fill silence. 

There wasn’t much silence anyway as Merlin kept babbling away, telling him about what he wanted to cook and making plans what they could do in those days off. They cooked together and Arthur was quite proud that the part he was responsible for didn’t burn into the pot. He obviously got better at this cooking thing. 

Later, they decided to read the book they hadn’t finished yet and Arthur listened to Merlin’s voice as they were snuggled up on the couch. 

“Arthur?”

“Hm?” Arthur looked up when Merlin stopped reading. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You mentioned a few times that you usually did the shifts on the holiday that nobody else wanted.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Arthur took a deep breath. He had never told anyone here about it and nobody really needed to know. Then again, it was a valid question and Merlin deserved an answer. 

“I loved my job.”

“And then you didn’t?” Merlin swallowed hard. “When you talk about your job in London, it always sounds as if it was the most terrific thing you’ve ever done and yet you’re here, doing something that is only remotely similar to what you did.”

Arthur sighed. “I still do. Being in the A&E, having this responsibility…finding out what is wrong with people on short notice…that’s quite the thrill. And I am good at it, I just know that.”

Merlin didn’t say anything and just listened. 

“Things are complicated back home. My father owns a couple of clinics for plastic surgery, but that was never the way I wanted to go. I know it is important when someone had an accident or things like that. Undergoing surgery just because you want bigger boobs or lesser wrinkles…I am quite reluctant about this. But it’s what my father makes his money with.” Arthur made a little pause. “It is also the money that got Morgana and me through medical school. So for him, it was a given that we follow in his footsteps and that I would take over the clinics one day.”

“It wasn’t a given for you.” Merlin said gently. 

“No. It never was. And it wasn’t for Morgana. She is a plastic surgeon, yes, but she doesn’t ‘correct’ noses or sucks the fat out of bellies. She works in a hospital, too.”

“Not your father’s?”

“No.”

“And you?”

“I found out pretty quickly that I am good in the A&E, so my dream was to work my way up to be the head of the A&E.” It was difficult to talk about what came next, so there was a long pause before he spoke up again. “Father didn’t take that very well, so he pulled a few strings to make me work for him, which I refused. He’s an influential man, so none of the bigger A&Es wanted to hire me after my residency, even though I had proven that I’m capable.”

“Your father made it so you didn’t get a job?” Merlin looked at him, disbelieve written all over his face. 

“Yes, he did. And after a while, you get desperate because every day that you don’t practice is a day where your skills deteriorate.”

“And a day you don’t have money.”

Arthur shrugged. “So I made the decision to come here for a while, so I would do something, anything at all. And the left-over money was just enough to outfit the hospital here with a working computer system.” He smiled. 

Merlin said nothing for a while. “That’s tough stuff.”

“It is what it is.” It was a saying that Arthur usually hated, but it described his situation pretty well. No, probably not. It was what led him here to Ealdor and yes, it wasn’t nice to be blocked from doing the job you wanted by your own father, but he was here now and he had Merlin. 

Merlin pulled him a bit closer. 

“With the difference that now, I have time for friends…and for you.”

Merlin didn’t answer.


	48. Chapter 48

He should have known. He really should have known and kept his mouth shut about taking a few days off. He had been taking a nap on the couch in front of the fireplace when the call came in. In no time, he was on his feet, pulled his boots on and grabbed his jacket.

“Don’t wait up for me.” Arthur pressed a kiss on Merlin’s cheek and was out the house, not really registering Merlin’s mocking remark that he had never seen him waking up into a functional adult so quickly. It was just something you learned while working in a hospital. Take every second of off-time you could get to sleep, but also be back, awake and present 100% when there was an emergency. And a kid with belly aches was an emergency. 

Arthur had his mobile pressed against his ear on the way to the hospital. “Come on, Gwen, answer.” What he had heard when Mr. Hansen called, it sounded like an appendicitis. If it was, he needed Gwen there. He pictured her all cozied up with Lance, probably doing what he and Merlin had just done this morning, but it couldn’t be helped. He needn’t have worried as he arrived at the door at the same time Gwen came running down the walkway. 

“What is it?” She asked, a bit out of breath.

“Molly Hansen. Appendicitis, I think.”

“Fuck.” She rushed in when he unlocked the door. “Did you tell Merlin to get ready in case we need to fly her out?”

They tossed their jackets on the couch and had enough time to exchange their boots for their runners and pull their scrubs over their heads when the Hansens brought the girl in. 

Later, Arthur didn’t even know how they got there. He was in his element. The old ultrasonic scanning equipment and what he saw and felt made it very clear. Appendicitis. And one that was too far gone to haul the girl into a plane and fly her out to Calgary. If they hadn’t acted, it might have been too late. 

Arthur hadn’t been looking forward to his first surgery in the old hospital, but he had no time to think. He went on autopilot and only came out of his trance when they ridded Molly of her appendix and made sure she could heal. He cleaned his hands and took a deep breath. 

“Well done, Gwen.”

Gwen took care that Molly got to the room with all the equipment they had to monitor her through the night. “Same, Doc. You were fantastic.”

Arthur shrugged. Even though this wasn’t the environment he was used to, his training and the bit of experience he had had taken over and he had done what he had to do. All there was to do now was to talk to the parents. He wanted to yell at them. If they had brought her daughter in sooner, it wouldn’t have been an emergency operation. That wouldn’t take anyone anywhere, though, so he took another deep breath before facing them. 

It took a bit of convincing before they left for the night and Arthur checked on the girl again. She was sleeping and all of the readings were normal. 

“Did you call Lance?” Arthur looked at Gwen when he entered their break room. 

Gwen nodded. “I’m sure he knew I wouldn’t be coming back tonight.” Holding out one of the tea mugs to Arthur, she smiled. “As long as Molly is alright, it’s worth spending the night here.”

Arthur took the mug. “Thanks. You were really great in there, thank you again.”

She shrugged. “Just doing my job. You were the hero.”

No, he wasn’t a hero. He had done what he had to do. Making decisions, acting upon them, that was what he was trained for. Usually, the part of talking to the parents or next of kin of patients wasn’t what he did. Well, sometimes, if the worst had happened, he had to, you could barely let a nurse tell someone that it had been too late, it wasn’t fair to them. But letting someone know “Surgery went well, patient needs to heal, peek in and then go home.” wasn’t his domaine. Usually, he was already dealing with the next emergency, the adrenaline of treating the first one not yet washed away. 

Tiredly, Arthur smiled at Gwen. “You can always make me a fetching red superhero cape to go with my scrubs?”

Gwen playfully kicked in his direction, way too exhausted from where she was sprawled in the old armchair to inch closer and actually connect her foot with Arthur’s shin. “Have you called Merlin?”

Molly looked a lot better in the morning. Far from being able to be released, but she wasn’t sweating like crazy anymore and was not in pain, due to the painkillers that dripped into her arm from the IV. 

They had checked on her regularly throughout the night and Arthur was just as tired as Gwen looked. They had taken turns, but when one of them scrambled up from the couch or the armchair, the other woke up, too. It was worth it, though, and that put a smile on Arthur’s face. 

It was way too early when the door of the hospital opened. Groaning, Arthur got up, rubbed his face with his hand and went to see who it was. He expected the Hansens and he couldn’t be cross with them if they showed up early to check on their little girl. To his surprise, it was Merlin. 

“Hey, SuperDoc.” Merlin grinned widely, leaned in for a quick kiss and then held up a few bags. 

“Did Gwen call you?” Who else could have spread the news of him being a hero when he had done nothing out of the ordinary?

“Yup.”

Gwen just came back from checking on Molly. “I just needed to tell someone how great you had been and Merlin seemed to be the right audience. Also, I’m hungry, so I ordered breakfast.”

Merlin smiled. “Coming right up.”

Arthur hadn’t even noticed how hungry he was. He had skipped so many meals while he was still working at the A&E that his stomach couldn’t get used to any kind of regularity. Here, he was fed his three meals a day and skipping dinner showed. His stomach grumbled loudly when the smell of eggs and bacon, toast and other goodies filled the break room. 

They had breakfast together and when the Hansens showed up, Gwen led them to see their daughter. 

Merlin threw Arthur a look. “So…this is what you want to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Saving lives on short notice.”

Arthur groaned and leaned his head back against the backrest of the couch. “How much exactly did Gwen exaggerate?”

“I don’t think she did at all. She was just truly impressed with what you did.”

Arthur shrugged. “It’s what I’m used to, nothing special and I’m glad we could help little Molly.”

Merlin just looked at him.


	49. Chapter 49

The New Year’s Eve party came and Arthur had to admit that he had lots of fun. Without the pressure of worrying about Merlin probably being crashed in the woods somewhere, he could enjoy the company, the talking, the laughter. They stayed a lot longer than they had intended and it was close to half past three when they finally made it back to Merlin’s house. 

Merlin yawned. “Too bad.”

Arthur looked up from where he was taking off his boots. “What?”

“There go my plans.”

Arthur frowned. “What plans?”

“Of fucking you into the New Year.” Merlin grinned. 

Blinking first, Arthur slowly returned the grin. “Bit too late for that now.”

“Didn’t want to interfere with your conversation with Gwaine.”

“It’s not like you didn’t talk for hours with Lance!” Arthur laughed. 

“True.” Merlin shrugged and then put some logs onto the fire. 

“So…you still want to?”

“What?” Merlin looked around and his eyes fell shut again and again. 

“Fuck me into the New Year?” Arthur was tired as well, but if Merlin was game, he might be able to mobilize some of the rest energy he still had. 

Merlin stepped close, wrapped his arms around him and leaned his head against his shoulder. “I would fall asleep in the middle of it.”

“Am I that boring?” Arthur huffed out a chuckle and nuzzled into Merlin’s hair. 

“Not at all and that’s why I’d like to enjoy every second and not…fail halfway through.”

Arthur nuzzled Merlin’s ear and playfully bit the outer rim. “Tell you what. We’re going to sleep now and then have a slow and gentle fuck to greet the new year when we wake up again.”

Merlin kissed his neck. “Love the way you’re thinking.”

“Love you.”

A few hours later, Arthur woke up and stared at the ceiling. Had he…had he really just told Merlin that he loved him? He’d been tired and…no, that wasn’t an excuse. He had told Merlin that he loved him. With beating heart he listened into the darkness. 

Merlin hadn’t reacted more than holding him closer and caressing his neck with the stubble of his beard. What did that mean? Was that a good sign? At least he hadn’t pushed him back and smacked him. He hadn’t said anything either, so that was probably good. 

Or probably not. Maybe Merlin needed time to think about it? To find out what to make out of it? Or to be sure that he meant it? Did he mean it? Yes, he did. It was too early, though, to talk about love, they’d only known each other for a few weeks. 

Merlin took a deep breath right next to him, turned and moved a little closer. Putting his arm around Arthur’s waist, he snuggled close and then his breath evened out again. He had fallen asleep again. 

Maybe, just maybe, this was as easy as the Christmas dance thing and he was just overthinking? Probably, he should just go back to sleep and talk to Merlin in the morning. Yes, that was what he was going to do. 

When he woke up again, it was already light and Merlin wasn’t there. It would have panicked him, didn’t he hear him rummaging around in the house. It was warm which meant Merlin had already made a fire and there was clanging from plates and mugs, which could only mean that Merlin was making breakfast. 

The door to the bedroom was pushed open. 

“Hey, you’re awake! Good morning.” Merlin smiled. 

“I am…” No, he wasn’t. He had been more awake in the middle of the night when his thoughts hadn’t let him sleep. “Let me get up, I’ll be in the kitchen in no time.”

Merlin chuckled and only then Arthur saw the tray he was carrying. “Wonder what you’ll do in the kitchen when breakfast is served here.”

“Breakfast in bed?” That sounded fantastic. 

And it was. It seemed as if Merlin had made everything that was left in the pantry and after a couple of sips of coffee, Arthur was capable of appreciating it. They fed each other and when they were full, Arthur leaned his head against Merlin’s shoulder. Was this the right time to talk to Merlin? It was as good as any other. 

“Merlin?” He set his mug onto the nightstand as Merlin put the tray aside. 

“Hm?”

“Last night…I mean…when we came back…I said…” Darn, this was harder than he had imagined. 

A mischievous glint showed in Merlin’s eyes and the corners of his mouth travelled up. “Oh, you remember. Then…let’s welcome the new year.”

They didn’t leave the bed all day and Arthur had never felt so worn out, but sex with Merlin was glorious and he had made good of his promise several times. 

Just as Arthur was falling asleep again, snuggled against Merlin, his head on his shoulder, he heard “Love you, too.”


	50. Chapter 50

“I made an appointment for you.” Arthur looked a Gaius when he was done examining him. 

“I have an appointment. In fact, we both are at this appointment right now.” Even though the old man was trying to joke, his face showed what they both knew. 

“Yes, we are. But I am not a cardiologist and I want you to see one.”

Gaius shrugged. “If I drop dead, I drop dead.”

“Nobody wants this. You have done so much for this community, let’s make sure you can do a lot more.” Arthur smiled. 

Taking a deep breath, the old man nodded. “Alright. You’re the doctor, Doc.”

“But?” Arthur felt that there was a ‘but’ hanging in the air. 

“I’m not too fond of flying out. Those tiny planes…” Gaius made a face. He had once told him the story of how he had gotten to Ealdor, driving up here in summer and it had taken him days. He hadn’t left Ealdor since. 

“Oh, I feel you.” Even though he would rather not be out in the wilderness for days on end, Arthur still wasn’t comfortable in the little tin cans that somehow more or less managed to stay up in the air. “You know what? I wanted to make some more connections anyway. I’m coming along.”

Gaius looked at him for a moment and then smiled. “You got the heart in the right place, my boy.”

“Doc!” The door to the clinic flew open. “DOC!”

Arthur appeared from his room. “What is it?” He rushed over to where a man brought in Mordred’s mother. “How are you feeling? Where does it hurt?” She was in quite a state and couldn’t stop crying. 

“Mordred.”

“What’s wrong with Mordred?”

“He’s gone missing!” The man yelled even though he was standing right in front of him. 

“Gone missing?” A cold shiver ran down Arthur’s spine. “What are we going to do?”

“The men already put together a search party.”

“I’m coming.” Arthur already reached for his jacket. “Gwen, take good care of her.”

“No, we need to know where you are when we find him. Stay here, I just needed to make sure that you know what’s going on.” With that, the man left again. 

Arthur didn’t know what to do. He had taken a liking to the boy who came in once in a while just to say hi or took out the trash without being asked to or dug his car out of the snow. Mordred was a familiar sight in the streets of Ealdor, always accompanied by his trusty old dog. 

His mother seemed physically fine but couldn’t stop crying. 

Gwen wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and led her to the break room where she also made her a cup of tea. 

Slowly, Glenda told them how Petey, the old dog, had passed away the night before and that Mordred had been inconsolable. 

Arthur exchanged a look with Gwen. 

“I…” Glenda sniffed. “I put him to bed, telling him that Petey had a long and wonderful life and it had been time for him to go over the rainbow bridge to run free without the pain that comes with old age. The dog could barely walk in the past weeks,” she explained, tears streaming down her face. “Told him that Petey would meet up with Greg now and that he wouldn’t be alone.” She sobbed. “I thought he would cry himself to sleep and be a bit better in the morning. When he didn’t come for breakfast, I went to check.” She took the tissue Gwen held out to her. “And he was gone.”

Squatting down in front of the couch, Arthur took her hand. “Did he take anything?”

Glenda drew in a shaky breath. “Petey.”

Arthur blinked. “He took…”

“The dead dog along.”

“Petey is too big for him to carry him, isn’t he?”

Glenda nodded. “He took a sack and seemed to have dragged him behind.”

“Then there must be traces!” Arthur looked up at Gwen. 

“Not with the new snow last night.” She shook her head, just as concerned as all of them. 

Glenda started crying again. “I can’t lose him, too.”

“They will find him.” Arthur knew he sounded more confident than he was, but he couldn’t show Glenda that he was just as afraid that something had happened to Mordred than she was. 

They all stared at the phone as if the liberating call would come faster and rushed to the door when it opened. 

“They think they found tracks,” Gwaine didn’t waste time with greetings or anything. “Come.”

In no time, Arthur was in his boots and jacket, pulled the beanie over his head and shouldered the backpack with all the necessary first aid things. Accepting the goggles Gwaine held out to him, Arthur mounted the snow mobile and clung to Gwaine as he already cranked the motor up before he was seated. 

Arthur had ridden an ambulance for a while and he knew that you never knew what to expect. This here wasn’t different. Mordred could have frostbites and hypothermia, he could have fallen somewhere and broken a bone and could not be able to move or…worse. It felt a lot weirder when you knew the potential patient. 

Before they even reached the point where someone had thought they’d found tracks, this part of the search party already came back and the men shook their heads. 

“DAMN!” Gwaine yelled. “WHERE ARE YOU???????”


	51. Chapter 51

Arthur looked around. He felt as helpless as all the others. It wouldn’t take long before the light went away and then it would get cold. Correction: It would get from ‘Damn, it’s cold’ to ‘Fuck, it’s fucking cold’ and the boy would not have a chance. They needed to find him. 

“No sign at all? Not even of the dog?” If Mordred has lost his way, he probably stopped dragging the body of his beloved pet around?

“No, Doc. Nothing. The new snow has erased all traces.”

Some of the men set out in a different direction and Gwaine wanted to follow them. 

‘Told him that Petey would meet up with Greg now and that he wouldn’t be alone’ Glenda’s words shot through Arthur’s mind. 

“Gwaine.”

“Huh?”

“Gwaine, where was it that they found Mordred’s father?”

Gwaine looked at him for a second and then gestured for him to jump on the snowmobile again. 

They raced through the forest and more than once Arthur felt twigs ripping at his jacket. He didn’t care, though. If he only the boy was right.

After a while, Gwaine slowed down a little bit and then stopped the snowmobile. “There! He’s over there at the tree!”

Arthur jumped off the snowmobile and tried to run to where Mordred was sitting against a tree. “Mordred!”

It was a lot more difficult to get through this much snow than he had hoped, but finally he managed and knelt next to the boy. “Mordred, it’s me, Doc Arthur. Talk to me.” He already opened the backpack to take out a few things. 

Very slowly, the boy lifted his head. “Petey…” he whispered and new tears were streaming down his face, almost instantly freezing to his cheeks. 

“I know.” Arthur knew he should have taken the boy’s vitals right away, but the first thing he had to do was wrap his arms around him and hold him for a moment. Only then he saw that Mordred had dragged the body of his dog on the sack through the snow to where they were sitting. 

When Mordred was through with his sobbing fit, Arthur pulled back a bit. “Can you get up?” He wrapped the rescue blanket around the boy and got up, pulling Morded along. When they reached the snowmobile, Mordred started struggling. 

“What?” 

“Petey.”

“We can’t leave him here.” Arthur looked at Gwaine and just then, they heard the sound of another snowmobile approaching. 

Gwaine didn’t wait, turned his own around and gestured for Arthur to bring the boy. 

It was Merlin approaching. 

“How is he?”

Arthur pointed. “Bring the dog!” Then he arranged Mordred carefully between Gwaine and him. “Let’s go.”

Luckily, Mordred was a smart kid. He had not just gone out into the Canadian winter in his pyjama bottoms, he had dressed up for the weather. Of course, he had a bit of hypothermia and it took them a while to get his body and hands and feet up to normal temperature, but he looked a lot better already. They kept him over night to make sure and once again, the second bed was occupied by the patient’s mother. 

It was close to noon when Arthur entered the pub to get some breakfast. He had sent Gwen, who had stayed at the hospital all through the night as well, to have breakfast first and when he came back, he would check Mordred again and if he was physically on the mend, he would release him. 

“Arthur!” Leon was the first to notice him, but once he did, everybody’s attention turned to him. 

“Morning, everyone.”

“Good job out there last night.” “Well done, Doc!” and other shouts were directed his way as he slid into a booth and accepted the coffee Mithy set in front of him. 

“Are you feeling more like having the lumberjack breakfast or would you prefer the daily lunch special?”

Arthur blinked at her, only noticing now how tired he was. His stomach grumbled, but his brain couldn’t provide the info. 

“I’ll put something together for you.” Mithy smiled, refilled Leon’s mug and vanished in the kitchen. 

Leon sat down opposite to Arthur. “That was a really good job, Arthur.”

Arthur sipped his coffee and shrugged. “It was just an idea.”

“A fantastic one, how did you come up with this?”

“There was something in my mind all of a sudden that his mother said. That she told him the dog was now with her husband and that they keep each other company. It was worth a try.”

“It was so worth a try.” Leon smiled up at Mithy when she brought a huge plate with all the things she knew Arthur liked and set it in front of him. 

Arthur picked at it tiredly but then his appetite took over and he munched away. Some of the occupants came over to squeeze his shoulder or thank him again for rescuing the boy, but Arthur shook his head. Everyone would have done the exact same thing. It had been a lucky guess. 

“What…happened to the dog?” Leon asked. “When I arrived there, it was gone.”

Looking up and taking a sip of the tea Mithy had exchanged his coffee for, Arthur nodded. “Merlin took it. He arrived just as we wanted to depart. Mordred didn’t want to leave without Petey.”

“Where is he now?”

“In their shed.” Arthur shrugged. “Frozen solid, I suppose.”

Leon nodded.


	52. Chapter 52

Other than attending a funeral for the old dog, nothing exciting happened and January blended into February. Arthur made the trip to Calgary with Gaius and Merlin and it was great to be in a hospital again. He had talked on the phone to some of the people he met and it was fantastic to get to know what the person actually looked like. It was difficult to network when you were stuck in a remote town, so Arthur made the most out of it while Gaius had his examinations. 

Dr. Morningston, a tall dark-haired man with glasses, stepped out of the office they had left Gaius at. “Doctor Pendragon?”

That sounded weird in his ears. Nobody had called him that in months. He was Doc Arthur. “Doctor?”

“I will write you a memo with the findings, but…”

Arthur held his breath. Had he been wrong and Gaius was suffering from something else entirely?

Dr. Morningston looked at him. “We will keep Mr. Williams here for a few days.”

Paling a bit, Arthur just held the doctor’s gaze. Had he waited too long? 

“First, we want to run a few more tests and if I’m right with what I suspect, he can have surgery right away without the stress of flying back and having to come in again. The risk of him having a heart attack during that time is rather high.”

Arthur nodded. He had suspected the very same thing. That was why he had insisted that Gaius saw the specialist. “I thought so.”

Morningston looked at him and smiled. “You’re quite the asset to Ealdor.”

“Doing what I can.” Arthur shrugged and smiled back. 

“No, don’t say that. Everyone in this hospital had to deal with Doc Mel sooner or later and even though we all were sorry for him having to quit the way he had, we were quite happy when Ealdor found a new doctor. And a very capable one as well. What did you specialize in before you moved to the back of beyond?”

“Been working in an A&E.” That seemed a million years ago. “I did my residency there and then…after a bit of a dry spell, I took this job.”

Morningston laughed. “It’s better than nothing and I’ve heard great things about you. If you ever get fed up with the wilderness, we might be able to arrange something here?”

Arthur shook his head. “Ealdor needs a doctor and until they have found someone new, I won’t be leaving them.”

The other doctor pulled his mobile out of his lab coat and checked a message. “Gotta take this. It was good talking to you, Doctor Pendragon and keep up the good work in Ealdor!”

Waving a short good-bye, Arthur went to check on Gaius, who – as expected – complained about having to stay. He had changed into the hospital gown already and was sitting on his bed, so he at least didn’t try to come back with them. Arthur promised they would come to bring him some clothes and see him again soon before he left to find Merlin. They needed to go back as it was already getting dark again. 

_Morgs,_

_I’ll never get used to flying in this tiny plane and when I complain about it, Merlin gets rather offended. Then again, I would be offended as well if someone insulted the thing I loved and did my job with._

He answered her questions about the rescue of Mordred and told her a few little anecdotes from the hospital, but it had been a quiet time. He also mentioned the mayor and how they had tricked him into getting the much-needed surgery and that he had talked to a few other doctors from the hospital. It was always good to know people. 

_You probably already run about in a t-shirt while the end of February still means winter here. Will I ever see a summer again? Or at least a spring? I’m quite done with being in the dark almost all day long and with freezing my butt off each time I step outside._

Which wasn’t really true, his jacket was long and warm enough to prevent that from happening and if he complained about a cold butt – or any other body part – Merlin was quick to offer his help in warming up. Morgana didn’t need to know that part, though. 

_Alfred is doing well, thanks for asking. I’ll attach a few new photos, you seem to like them._

Merlin had told him about the other wildlife that would come back the more winter left. Even though he had a lot of respect for everything, Arthur couldn’t wait to see his first bear – as long as it didn’t decide to pay him a visit. 

_Have you read any good books lately? We made it through this bestseller thriller, but we weren’t too thrilled. Any suggestions are appreciated._

Then he wrote a few sentences about Percy’s birthday party and how mind boggling it was that this mountain of a man could not only put together the most complicated technical things, but was also a great cook. 

_Hope you’re well and not too stressed._

_Love,  
Arthur_

Attaching the photos he had promised, he ended the email and sent it off.


	53. Chapter 53

“Arthur.”

Arthur grumbled and turned to the other side. 

“Arthur, wake up.”

Merlin’s urgent whisper could only mean an emergency and Arthur jumped up right away. “What is it? Did I miss the call? Who? What can you tell me about the patient?”

Merlin reached for his wrist and held him back. “No patients.”

“No patients?” Arthur had jumped up so quickly that he was almost a bit dizzy. 

“No, no patients.”

“Then…why did you rip me out of deep sleep?” It was charming when Merlin woke him gently to have some early morning sex, but it seemed to be in the middle of the night.

“I need to show you something. Get dressed.”

“Really? In the middle of the night? Can’t that wait until tomorrow?”

Merlin, already half dressed, shook his head. “It’ll be gone by then.”

Arthur felt like just curling up again, but the excited shine on Merlin’s face was enough to put on some clothes. “Are we going somewhere?”

“Yes, outside of town.”

Alright, that meant not only to dress to bring out the trash, but to dress up real good as it was still fucking cold at night. The cold hit him on the way to the truck and he was a lot more awake now. “What are we going to do?”

Merlin just smiled. He drove them to the other end of town, down to the river where the ice sculptures were still displayed, even though snow and more ice had distorted most of them. They went until the lights of the town weren’t visible anymore. 

“We’re here.” Merlin declared.

“Are you going to tell me now what we’re even here for?” Arthur complained, but then everything he still wanted to say fled his mind when he saw it. There was a shimmer of green above them. “Are these…”

“Yes. Northern Lights. Aurora Borealis.” Merlin smiled. “Let’s get out and get a good look at them.”

Arthur was out of the truck in no time, his face tilted upwards, taking in the display of the dancing greenish lights that seemed to put on a show for them. 

Merlin stepped close to him and Arthur felt that he was watching his face instead of the spectacle nature put on for them. 

“Merlin…” He whispered in wonder. 

“Your first ones, I suppose?”

“This is beautiful.”

Arthur was so wrapped up in the moment that he didn’t even think about asking questions or taking photos. He was vaguely aware of the physics behind this but none of it mattered now. 

When the lights slowly vanished, Arthur started to step from one foot to the other. 

“Let’s go back.” Merlin smiled at him. “You’re freezing.”

That was true, they had stood there for a lot longer than anyone should stand still in these temperatures, so Arthur climbed into the truck, craning his neck to be able to see the aurora fade. “Can we stay here a bit longer?”

When the sky was dark again, Merlin turned the truck around and drove them back home. 

Arthur was still in a daze. Never before had he seen anything that beautiful. 

Merlin handed him a mug of tea when they had shed all their thick clothes again. “Here.”

Looking at him, Arthur smiled. “Thank you for showing me these.”

“Thought that was one part of Ealdor you hadn’t seen yet…”

“It’s…wow, I barely find words.”

Merlin smiled. “That usually what an aurora does to you the first time.”

“How did you know it would happen tonight?” Arthur sipped his tea and rubbed at his face that started to burn as it always did when he had been in the cold for some time and then came back inside. 

Shrugging, Merlin poured himself another mug. “I grew up around here.”

“And that means you have a natural northern lights detector?”

Merlin laughed. “Not really, but yes, you get hunches and I tried to find them in the past nights.”

“And I thought you had too much tea in the evening and had to use the bathroom three times a night.”

“Nope, I just got up to check. I was lucky tonight.”

Arthur stepped close. “Again, thank you for all that.” He would never forget this experience. When he leaned in to kiss Merlin, Merlin yawned. 

“Sorry.” 

“I’m sorry. You woke up several times a night for a while and did all the driving….”

“Not to forget the photographing.”

“What?”

Merlin grinned. “You were so fascinated by the lights that you didn’t even notice that I took a few pictures.” He yawned again. 

“We can look at them tomorrow.” Arthur set down his mug and then took Merlin’s out of his hand to put it next to his own. “First, we will take advantage of the next couple of hours and get some sleep.”

“Good idea.”


	54. Chapter 54

“Did we clean everything? Is everything in order?” Arthur bellowed at Gwen. 

“Calm down, Arthur. Everything will withstand any inspections. When will they be here?”

Arthur didn’t understand how Gwen could be so calm. He had tried everything he could, writing long emails about how cold it still was and that there wasn’t anything to do here, but he had made the mistake to send one of the photos Merlin had snapped the night they watched the aurora and Morgana decided to come. 

“Right now.” The door had opened and Morgana had breezed in. 

“Morgs!”

“Arty!”

She stepped up to him and kissed his cheeks left and right. “He’s cute.” She whispered. 

Arthur couldn’t help the slight blush on his face. “Err…welcome to Ealdor. You’ve already met Merlin…”

“We have spent two wonderful hours full of useful information and good conversation.” She beamed at Merlin, who had flown out the night before to pick her up. 

“And this is Gwen…Nurse Smith.”

“Ah,” Morgana turned and held out her hand. “The woman my brother would have been lost without when he came here.”

“Hello Doctor Pendragon!” Gwen stared at Morgana with wide eyes, but then caught herself. “Welcome to Ealdor. Can I get you a coffee? Or a tea?”

Morgana, who was way too overdressed in her designer clothes, smiled. “If you call me Doctor Pendragon, I fear I have to work.” She laughed. “Call me Morgana. And a coffee sounds wonderful.” Then she leaned in and whispered. “And if I could use…”

Gwen laughed. “Sure, just follow me.”

Arthur seemed to be forgotten and stood in the entrance with Merlin. 

“Your sister is wonderful.”

“You haven’t really met her yet.”

Merlin threw him a look and shook his head. “I’ll bring her suitcases to Mithy’s and then come back to see what she wants to do.”

Ripping everything here apart with one look, that was what Morgana would do. She just was like that. Anything that was beneath her standards needed to be destroyed. With words, with looks, with fire. And Arthur was very sure that there was little in Ealdor that met her standards. 

That Morgana laughed with Gwen in the breakroom was quite alarming. Arthur left Merlin standing in the entrance and went to check. To his surprise, they both had gotten comfy on the old couch and armchair and already seemed to be the best of friends. 

“Arthur! You never told me how wonderful everybody is!” Morgana turned to Gwen. “He tends to point out when someone does their job well but telling me about his friends?” She rolled her eyes. 

Gwen chuckled. “And I’m sure he never tells you about the wonderful things he does.”

Morgana threw him a look. “No, he doesn’t.” She turned back at Gwen. “You need to tell me all about it. But now I think I should wash off the travel grime and get a few hours of sleep. The flight was horrible.”

“I told you that flying in Berta isn’t the best that could happen to you.” 

Setting down her mug, Morgana got up. “I wasn’t talking about the flight here. I was referring to the transatlantic flight. You said you booked me a nice room at the Inn?”

Arthur threw her a crooked smile. “At the pub. I’m sure Mithy will give you the same room I had when I first came here.” They had discussed her staying in the cabin while he moved in with Merlin for the time being but decided against it. Morgana didn’t know how to make a fire and driving through snow wasn’t her forte either. He didn’t want the cabin to burn down or his car totaled. As much as he detested the attention Morgana would inevitably draw when she was strutting down the stairs, the people of Ealdor would meet her sooner or later anyway. 

“It’s not far from here. We could walk? Unless you’d rather wait for Merlin to come back?”

“A little walk sounds heavenly after all that sitting.” She smiled at him and reached for her brand new jacket from a wilderness outfitter. “Thank you for the coffee, Gwen. Let’s go, Arthur.”

They walked a few steps in silence and Morgana looked around. 

“Come on,” Arthur finally said, “just say it.”

“What?” 

“That this is not what we were brought up to do and that I have to come home soon.”

She stopped. “What makes you think that this is what I’m going to say?”

“Just look around.” 

“Arthur, I’m too tired for this conversation, but when I look around I see neat houses that were built to withstand the cold Canadian winter, I see hard-working people and they all have been friendly so far.”

Arthur looked at his sister. That would have been how he had described the Ealdorians. 

“Do you really think I’m such a snob?”

“Well…”

She giggled. “You’re probably right. It’s nothing that I could imagine living in, but so far it’s not as bad as I thought it was.” She looked around. “Oh, is that the pub over there?”

It took Arthur a while to finally deliver Morgana to her room. They had to greet Mithy, of course, who immediately wanted to cook up a storm for ‘the Doc’s sister’ and Leon was around, too, so they talked for a while before Arthur went along and tried to praise everything they saw on the way. 

“You can hear the murmurs from downstairs when you’re in bed, but that lulled me to sleep when I stayed here. And isn’t the view beautiful?” The view from the room showed the street and the opposite row of houses up to the hospital.

“Isn’t that the hospital?”

“Yes, it is.”

“So I can keep an eye on you without even leaving my room? Perfect.” Morgana grinned. 

Arthur suspected that Morgana wouldn’t be in this room a lot and rather showed up unannounced all the time. 

“Don’t look so panicked, Arthur.”

“Am I?”

“Well, are you?”

He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Not panicked, no. Nervous probably.”

“Why? I came here to see where you are, what you are doing and if you are alright.” She looked up at him. 

“And to mock everything as you always do.”

She threw him a long look. “I can’t promise you not to mock and tease you as we have always done, that’s true. But why would I mock everything? Coming here feels like a vacation to me and you get to live in this holiday environment.”

He wouldn’t tell her now about the harsh winter and the wildlife that wasn’t a petting zoo and the limited resources they had here and the things he had to deal with. “Get some sleep. I’ll buy you dinner later. Mithy is a wonderful cook, you’ll like it.” It wasn’t a five star Michelin cuisine but it was great food. 

“I’m looking forward to it.” Morgana leaned in and kissed his cheek. “And tell Merlin that I appreciate that he hauled my luggage up here already.”

Arthur nodded and left her alone. That hadn’t gone half bad, had it?


	55. Chapter 55

He couldn’t help it. With Morgana around, Arthur was just tense. He waited for the first snide remarks, but so far, none had come. 

They had a very nice first dinner at Mithy’s and Morgana complimented her over and over again. “I finally know why you like eating here so much. After all the cafeteria food we stuffed our faces with between surgeries, this is…heaven!” Morgana closed her eyes and made a ‘mmm’ sound. 

“It is, isn’t it?” They were seated in a booth to have a bit of privacy, even though the patrons all managed to sneak a peek at the Doc’s sister. “So…how have you been doing? You don’t tell me much in your emails.”

Morgana looked up. “Neither do you. Come on, Arthur, even a blind person can see that you are head over heels for Merlin. Why didn’t you tell me?”

The pesky blush was back on his cheeks. “Well…he helped me a lot when I first came here and we’re…friends.”

Laughing as if this was the funniest joke she ever heard, Morgana put down her cutlery. “Friends…oh Arthur. From what I heard so far, you are much more than friends.”

“What did you hear?”

Her grin turned into a soft smile. “Everyone here can’t mention your name without saying Merlin’s as well. ‘Doc Arthur and Merlin’ this, ‘Merlin and Doc Arthur’ that…”

Arthur swallowed hard. He knew it would be difficult to keep this a secret from Morgana and he had been right. 

She put her hand over his. “Arthur, I’m happy for you. You came here to spite our father and you found someone you want to be with.”

“So you’re not mocking me?”

“Why would I? You did something so brave and have been rewarded so much. I’ve only been here for a few hours, but I already found out that you are respected in this community and I’m sure you had to work some miracles before the old geezers over there spoke of you so highly. And you found a person who seems to be perfect for you…I mean…he has to be perfect if he can bear you all the time.” She grinned and then turned serious again. “I’m proud of you.”

The next few days were filled with ‘sightseeing’, even though there was nothing much to see in Ealdor. They spent an entire day at the hospital where Gwen showed Morgana what Arthur had changed and praised him again and again for making some things a lot easier. Morgana had a blast when she heard the story about Arthur throwing out all the chatterers on his first day. She took everything in and if she thought that everything was old and outdated, she didn’t mention it. 

“And this is where you live?” Morgana looked at the cabin and then at Arthur and back. 

“Yes, it is. It’s not big, but it’s alright.” Already in defensive-mode again, Arthur opened the door. “Stomp the mud off your feet and leave the boots by the door, please.”

Morgana had found out quickly that this was the way to keep the worst sludge outside. Temperatures were rising slowly, so the melting snow had turned everything to mud. She padded into the place on socks and looked around. 

Arthur held his breath. In London, his place was mostly white leather and chrome, he had always preferred an almost-sterile look. The cabin had grown on him, though, and he felt like it was his home for now.

After a while where she said nothing at all and just looked at the old leather couch, the colourful crocheted blanket, the fireplace and the old books, she turned around and smiled at him. “It’s just like in your photos.”

“And you hate it.”

“You don’t know me too well, do you?” Morgana went to the patio doors and peeked outside. “Is this where Alfred demands his offerings?”

“Yes, it is. With spring slowly coming, he will find more food in the wild and hopefully not shit into my back yard all that often anymore.”

She laughed. “I would like to meet him.”

Arthur shook his head. “You don’t. He’s huge and scary and did I mention huge?”

“Well, not meet-meet like in I go out there and pet him, you told me often enough that wildlife shouldn’t be approached. But I would like to be here when he comes to eat the veggies you put out there for him.”

“It’s just scraps.”

Morgana tilted her head and grinned. “I heard that you are collecting the scraps from everyone who doesn’t have animals to feed them to, so your pet moose is happy.”

Arthur shrugged. “They started bringing me that stuff. Nothing goes to waste out here.”

“And that’s a good thing, too. Alright, now show me the rest of your castle.”

“There’s not much…”

“There have to be a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom at least?”

“There are.”

The tour was short and soon, they found themselves on the couch with their socked feet up on the coffee table, each nursing a mug of tea. 

Morgana took a deep breath. 

“What?”

She smiled. “I never thought you would feel good in an environment like that, but it obviously does you good.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at you. You look healthy and happy and have a wonderful place where nobody bothers you…”

“Aside from people who don’t know what opening hours mean…”

She laughed as he had told the stories in his emails. “Yes, but I remember you complaining about your place back in London. The noisy neighbours, the sirens of police cars…here, nothing disturbs you at all when you want to sleep.”

“It wasn’t easy getting used to this. In the pub, you at least hear people talking, but out here? It’s either really odd noises from the cabin or the woods or…nothing at all.”

“Which is wonderful…unless it scares you and you make emergency calls to Merlin because your internet is out.” She tried to keep a straight face but then burst out laughing. 

Arthur groaned. “So he told you…”

“Everybody told me.”

“I’m never going to live that one down.” Arthur sighed. 

“No, you’re not.” She smiled fondly.

Arthur took another sip of his tea. “Tell me about London. What happened since I left?”

He listened to her talking about people he thought he once knew. Now, they were in a different world so far away and it felt as if they had never been his friends. Nobody had called, nobody had written him an email. He vanished and they didn’t care. This wouldn’t happen here in Ealdor.


	56. Chapter 56

After a few days, Arthur started to relax. Morgana seemed to have changed in the past few months or maybe it was just that she was the stranger here. Surprisingly, she seemed to adjust rather well and sometimes even helped Gwen sort things in the storage room or answered the phone when they were both busy with patients. It was good to have her around. Arthur had not only missed the expertise of another doctor, but also the company of his sister. 

She had become fast friends with most everybody in Ealdor, laughed at the advances made to her by the ‘old geezers’ in the pub, but never in a malicious way. She flirted with everyone and had spent a day with Gwaine and Percy at the garage, went on patrol with Leon and spent some time with Gaius at the town hall. When one night became busy at the pub and Mithy’s usual help, a young girl from the town, couldn’t make it, Morgana snatched a dish towel and stuffed it into the waistband of her jeans as a make-shift apron. 

“Never knew you had so many talents,” Mithy grinned as she passed her by with some plates of food.

Morgana just smiled and sold more drinks that night than Mithy sold on any other night of the week. 

The next day, she put a wad of bills on Arthur’s desk. “Here.”

He looked at it. “What’s that?”

“The start of your new ultrasound.” She smiled. 

“No, I mean…what?”

“It’s the tips I got last night for helping Mithy out.” She grinned. “I don’t want it.”

Which translated into ‘I don’t need it’.

“I wanted to give it to Mithy, but she declined. So we decided that the hospital needs a fund to get more modern equipment.”

Arthur stared at her. “So you’re ripping my hospital apart for having old equipment.”

Morgana tossed herself into one of the chairs in front of Arthur’s desk. “No, I am not. Why can’t you stop thinking that? This place has everything it needs but could do with equipment that doesn’t date back to the 60s. You could do even more good here with it. Why are you so stubborn?” She looked at him for a while. “It’s father, isn’t it? You’re still trying to prove to him that you can do everything on your own. Arthur, you should have learned that as a doctor you need to work in a team. You admitted that Gwen saved your sorry behind the day you came here. That’s how it’s working. You are better together. And it’s the same thing here. You bought the computers with the last of your savings, but you are not willing to admit that. Take this money, Arthur. Put it aside. Do more…stuff like baking contests and things that seem so popular around here. Save up to get new equipment. The people of Ealdor will happily contribute when they find out it’s for their own good.”

“But you…”

“I’m just shoving you in the right direction.” She got up again. “And the novelty of me behind the bar will wear off quickly, so I’ll take what I can get.” She winked at him. 

When she had breezed out, Gwen showed up in the door frame. “You know she’s right.”

Arthur cleared his throat. “Thank you all for coming.” Everybody was crammed into the break room and the talks and laughter died down when Arthur got up. “I have asked you here today…”

“Oh, so formal.” Gwaine grinned. 

“I have asked you here today because….well, Gwen had an idea.”

Morgana looked at him. 

“Alright, actually it was Morgana who started it, but Gwen had an idea and now we need your input.” He took a few minutes to explain how the equipment at the hospital was probably old when Doc Mel had arrived in Ealdor and that they still had functioning stuff, but that it couldn’t hurt to exchange it for new things. 

“Did you win the lottery?” Merlin asked and smiled up at him. 

“Unfortunately, I have not. And that’s where the people of Ealdor come in.”

“Nobody has that kind of money.” Leon looked from one to the other. “We’re not a rich community.”

“But together, we could get there.” Morgana got up as well. “See, what my little brother is trying to say…if we all help, we might reach the goal.” 

Arthur was a bit irritated about the ‘we’, but didn’t mention it. “The goal is not to beg for their money to replace the entire equipment of the hospital. We thought more along the lines of…doing something at the spring fest thing to get towards a goal. Morgana is right, our ultrasound is so old that we fear that we can listen to the radio on it.” He had no idea how that should happen and it was nonsense, but it probably made them see. “It’s still working, but it also might break any day. And if we have a fund to replace it, it won’t hurt as much when it finally has to be replaced.”

Everyone around the coffee table nodded. 

“What we don’t want is people to give their money if they can’t afford it. But there is something that everyone could do.” Gwen nodded and her curls bopped around her face. “Like…I already asked my granny and she agreed to crochet a blanket with the scraps she still has lying about. We could auction it off?”

“Ideas like that is what we are looking for. I don’t want someone who is selling their wares at the fest to not make their profit. They all need their money to make it through the year, but…any suggestions are welcome.”

Their discussion went late into the evening. Some wanted to pursue the idea of the auction and others preferred a stand where they would sell things. 

Arthur took notes on idea of who to address and what else to do or make. “Alright,” he smiled when he felt Merlin pressing his knee against his. “That’s a great start. I think I’m going to discuss this with Gaius first. He’s been in this town longer than any of us.”

“Longer than all of us together,” Gwaine observed and grinned widely. 

Arthur chuckled. “He knows the people here best. We don’t want to interfere with the fest, we don’t want to make it about the hospital. But we want our little niche in there to help things progressing.”

“Hear hear.” Morgana grinned. 

Leon got up and reached for his hat. “Gotta start my nightly patrol. Let me know when you have something we can work with.”

One after the other, they said their good-byes. 

Morgana left with Mithy to go back to the pub and soon, just Merlin was left. 

Arthur noticed him looking at him when he cleaned up the last things and reached for his jacket. “What?”

Merlin stepped close and kissed him deeply. “You’re wonderful.”

“I am not. I’m just trying to make sure that we can buy new stuff when the old one falls apart.”

“You’re thinking ahead and that’s wonderful.”

Arthur grinned. “So…” He wrapped his arm around Merlin’s waist. “What do I get for being so wonderful?”

Merlin pretended to think. “Hmmm…I could make you a great sandwich when we’re back home.”

Arthur shook his head. “Nah…not interested.”

“I could…take out the trash for you?”

“I can do that myself.”

Merlin leaned in close. “We could go back to the cabin and I could fuck you over the back of the couch until you scream my name?”

Arthur swallowed hard, grabbed Merlin’s wrist and dragged him out the door.


	57. Chapter 57

“Don’t you have to go back home some time?” Arthur grinned when Morgana yet again was behind the counter as he opened the door to the hospital. 

“You know I’m in between two jobs.”

“I thought they were waiting for you?” Arthur hung up his jacket. 

“They want me, they can wait a bit longer. Do you really think I’m going to miss the preparations for the fest?”

It had been her idea that they used the spring fest to raise money for the hospital. Arthur always felt weird asking others for money. He had never learned it as he had always had enough cash to buy whatever he wanted. Since father had cut him off, he had managed to make do with what was left, so he couldn’t just buy new equipment with his own money. Without Morgana, he would never have dared to do anything like this. 

Gaius, much to his surprise, had been thrilled when he heard about the initial idea and had done everything he could to include them in the preparations. Gwen, Leon, Mithy and Lance had gone from door to door to promote their idea. They didn’t want donations, they wanted to include the people of Ealdor. They would not refuse any donations made at the fest, but for now, they wanted what Ealdor could give. 

One of the storage rooms of the hospital was filled with those donations. They had jars with fine honey, preserved fruit and vegetables of all kinds, some of the girls had volunteered their babysitter services and Mordred had offered to walk people’s dogs. Arthur wasn’t too sure if the people of Ealdor needed that very service as most dogs either roamed around freely or were fenced in to guard the house, but it was a delight to see that everyone took to the idea of doing little things that would probably take the hospital far. The blanket that Gwen’s grandmother had made was a masterpiece and they had gotten donations of hand-knitted socks and mittens and hats. 

Gwaine and Percy insisted on a raffle where they would check the car of whoever won. First, they wanted to do an auction, but then decided that they would probably get more money if they held a raffle. The children in Lance’s class had followed his lead and donated some art, so there was everything from the detailed painting Lance had done to a first-graders sketch of the hospital. 

It was a weird array of things, but Arthur couldn’t help but smile each time he went into the room to put something else on the shelf that someone brought over. He knew that there would be freshly baked cookies as Gwen brought different ones for him to try most every day. It was a good thing that the fest would take place at the weekend or else he would get fat and round with all the sweet stuff he ate. 

Merlin stepped up to him. “I brought two baskets that Joel donated.”

“Joel?”

“Mr. Weatherly? He lives…”

“Oh, yes, I know who he is. Doesn’t he sell them at the fest?”

Merlin nodded. “Yes, but he wanted us to have two to sell off for the hospital.”

In the end, not everything fit onto the tables they had as more and more people brought things in the closer to the weekend they came. 

Morgana and Gwen had decorated everything nicely and Arthur was talking to Gaius about the last details of the auction. 

Arthur had no idea what exactly happened throughout the day, he had been busy shaking hands and talking to people, meeting the few he hadn’t met before and he had stood by at the auction, not really believing how much money came in through that alone. Gwaine and Percy’s raffle brought more money than they would have charged for checking a car and Lance’s painting sold for much more than they had put on the price tag. The biggest surprise was that a lot of people bought the very same things they had donated, thereby not only making them and donating their time and ingredients or resources, but then paying for them again. Gwen’s cookies were a huge success and she kept muttering about running home to bake some more. 

“So…what do you think?” Morgana stepped up to him when Gwen was just about to sell the last box of cookies. Their booth was empty. 

Taking a deep breath, Arthur turned to her and shook his head. “I don’t know what to think.”

“How about: This went a lot better than I had anticipated? Or even…my sister was right?” She grinned. 

He leaned in and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you.”

Together, they stored the tables and the decorations away and then went to the pub for a good meal and some company. 

One after the other came in and soon, the big round table in the corner was filled with all the people who had made the months here bearable. Arthur looked around. No, not bearable, enjoyable. 

Merlin reached for his hand on the table and just smiled as he sipped his beer. 

“So,” Gwaine brought another round and shoved the tray on the table. “How much did we make?”

Arthur looked from one to the other. “As we had thought, it’s not enough to buy a new ultrasound right away. But we got so much more than we were aiming for.” He was tired but excited at the same time. “Did you see how much that blanket went for?”

Gwen smiled happily. “And you have a rather similar one on your couch. You’re sleeping under a fortune!”

Soon, they were wrapped up in conversations and laughter and Arthur didn’t even notice the looks Morgana gave him as she smiled.


	58. Chapter 58

“Hey, why don’t you stay for a while longer?” Arthur watched as Morgana packed her suitcase. 

“I’ve been here for four weeks, Arthur.” She smiled. “Give me that jumper, please?”

He looked around and handed it over. “I know, but…”

She grinned. “Are you saying you’ve enjoyed the company of your old sister at least a little bit?”

Making a face as if that decision was a hard one to make, Arthur shrugged. “Maybe?”

Morgana ordered him around and he handed her whatever she pointed out. 

“Now you’re going back to your life and leave me back here in the middle of nowhere.” 

“Oh,” flicking a blouse she was holding at him, Morgana laughed. “You’re such a drama queen.”

“So you’re not thinking I’m making a mistake with all of this here?” Leaning against the tiny table by the window, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at her. 

Morgana stopped what she was doing and looked at him. “No, I think you’ve found your calling.”

“But…”

“Yes, I know you’ve trained to be head of an A&E in a big hospital one day. You love the thrill of not knowing what or who comes in and what the next night shift will bring. I know you are fantastic with a scalpel and have saved many lives. But even though the scale is different here and it’s not always emergencies you have to deal with, the community is just the same. They come in with something you don’t know yet or haven’t seen yet and expect you to make them heal. You already saved a few lives here. Everyone loves you and I have never seen you happier in your entire life.”

“But my skills are deteriorating. It’s been months…”

“You’re forgetting that you have gained skills here, too. Or did you know what a certain rash looked like when you came here?”

Arthur huffed out a chuckle. “No.”

“See?”

Arthur sighed. He knew she was right, but there was still that nagging feeling that he didn’t do what he wanted to do, what he needed to do. 

Morgana stepped close. “Would you really want to give all of this up for double shifts and patients you don’t know? And more importantly…would you want to give Merlin up to go back to an anonymous city where you’re just a face in the crowd and have no chance to have a relationship due to your crazy schedule?”

Slowly, Arthur shook his head. When he thought of going back to work in an A&E, he always pictured Merlin coming along. “He could come.”

She shook her head fiercely. “He had been to the big city once, he came back here because he didn’t like it. What makes you so sure he is willing to try again? And hey,” her features turned soft again. “Listen to your heart. Forget about the money and the fame for a moment and ask yourself what you really want and what it is you can’t live without.”

Sighing again, Arthur forced a smile on his face. “Since when do you sound like a fortune cookie?”

Grinning, Morgana tossed another top into the suitcase and snapped it shut. “It’s probably because I didn’t have Chinese food for too long. Withdrawal does the weirdest things as you know.”

After half of Ealdor had shown up to say good-bye to Morgana, Arthur had taken her to the airstrip. She had insisted on him taking her in ‘that wonderful vintage car’ as she called the old rusty clunker and also that he shouldn’t come along to the airport as he hated flying in Berta. So they said their good-byes after he had hauled her luggage up into the plane where Merlin loaded it the way he needed it. He stood at the airstrip and waved until Berta was out of sight. 

Gwaine came out of the little shed and patted his shoulder. “We’re all going to miss her.”

Arthur turned to face him. “She’ll be back.” He knew if he stayed here any longer, she sure would come to visit again. The question just was…would he be here much longer? Then again, he had dragged his feet to write applications, he had even stopped searching the internet for jobs. He had spoken to Doctor Mornington a few times on the phone and each time, the doctor had told him about open positions at the hospital in Calgary. None of them were in the A&E, so he had always made it clear that he could do all this other stuff around here as well. 

“You alright?”

Oh, he’d almost forgotten that Gwaine was still standing next to him. “Yeah. Need a ride back to town?”

“Nah, my truck is right over there, but thanks.” Gwaine nodded once and left. 

Arthur just stood there, deep in thought, long after he was gone.


	59. Chapter 59

For quite a while after Morgana had left, the town couldn’t stop talking about her. Arthur knew that his sister was a beautiful woman with a brilliant mind but he had discovered a side of her that he hadn’t been aware of. Usually, she used that sharp tongue of hers to dissect everything and everybody. Here, she had used it to talk them into their participation at the fest and she hadn’t said a single bad word about anything at all. 

She had even encouraged him to stay here. Arthur sighed. Did he want that? Part of him wanted to stay. There was the hospital, there were his friends, his little cottage and last, but not least Merlin. Arthur couldn’t imagine leaving Merlin behind. There was still a nagging little voice in the back of his head, though, that told him he didn’t belong here and needed to do more than just being a small-town GP. 

“Arthur?”

He looked up and it seemed as if Gwen had called him before. “Yes?”

“Mr. Nulde is here.”

“Oh, sure.” He waved for her to bring him in. “What brings you here today, Mr. Nulde?” Quickly, Arthur scanned the screen of his computer to see what the old man had been in for before. That way, he missed that Mr. Nulde wasn’t coming in alone. 

When he heard a little yelp as the man sat down, Arthur looked up. “That’s…”

“A dog.”

“A puppy, yes. Mr. Nulde, a hospital is not really the right place for a puppy. Could you leave it with Gwen at the reception, please?”

“It’s for you.”

Arthur blinked. “For me?”

“Yup.”

“But…” Arthur was confused. He had never mentioned to anyone that he felt the need to own a dog. He didn’t. 

“Ya know…you healed that itch…”

“Your eczema, yes. Let me look at your arm again so we can make sure you can stop using the salve.” Get back to business, don’t let him talk you into taking the dog.

“And when Bella had pups…we thought that you live all by yourself in that cabin…when Merlin is away and…you need a companion to protect you.”

Arthur blinked. The townspeople obviously still thought he needed protection. And while he so far had been adamant about some kind of training with a gun, there had not been a single moment where he had felt threatened. Well, maybe that one time when he didn’t know what to do with Alfred in his back yard, but they had come to their agreement and treated each other with polite respect. No need for guns or protection or anything. It was amusing, though, that they thought that Merlin was protecting him and he needed more guarding when Merlin was on one of his flights. 

“Mr. Nulde, as much as I appreciate the effort…I don’t need a dog. I don’t have time to train it and you know I’m staying at the hospital some nights when there’s an emergency. The poor thing would be trapped at the cabin all that time.” 

“You could bring her.”

“As I said, this is a hospital, not a place for a dog.” Arthur hoped he made it clear without saying no to the man’s face. 

“Alright then.” The man got up, nodded and attempted to leave. “If you change your mind, let us know quickly. We can’t provide for that many dogs…”

Arthur only listened with half an ear, already reading the file of the next patient. “Goodbye, Mr. Nulde. Thanks for dropping by.”

After a moment, Arthur’s head shot up. ‘We can’t provide for that many dogs…’ Did that mean that they…? They wouldn’t! Would they? “Gwen?” Calling for her, Arthur rushed to the front desk. 

He stopped in his tracks and blinked when he saw the puppy trying to climb out of a cardboard box that was sitting on the desk, wagging its little behind all over the place as Gwen and Merlin were gushing over it. “What the…”

Merlin looked up and beamed. “Look, Arthur, a puppy.”

“I saw that. Mr. Nulde wanted…”

“To get rid of it.” Gwen threw him a stern look. “Just look at it, poor little thing. We can’t let that happen.”

Arthur knew it was a mistake, but he couldn’t help it. He reached out to the furry little bundle and smiled when it turned and licked his fingers. “I don’t need a dog,” he said absentmindedly, marveling in the soft fur and the puppy’s enthusiasm. 

“I don’t have time to train it,” Merlin looked at it. “I’ll be spending most of my time in the air in the next two weeks.”

“We need to find it a home.” Gwen decided. 

Arthur sighed. “What else are we supposed to do? We can’t become an animal shelter on top of all the things we already do that have nothing to do with running a hospital.” Then he had a thought. 

“What?” Merlin looked at him. 

“What if we…”

They had taken care of the furball the entire morning and waited for school to be over. Of course they confirmed with Glenda first, but now all three of them – make that four as the puppy wiggled excitedly in Arthur’s arms – were on their way. 

“Hi Mordred.”

“Doc Arthur!” The boy beamed at him and then his eye became wide when he saw the baby dog. 

“I need your help, Mordred.”

Glenda waved them all in and ushered them to the small living room. 

“What do I need to do?” The boy hadn’t taken his eyes off the puppy. 

“Well…you see…someone just gave me this,” Arthur looked down at the dog who looked up and licked his nose. Ew!

“Lucky…”

“The thing is…I can’t possibly take care of a dog. I never had a dog before and I don’t know how to train it. I don’t have the time either and Merlin is away a lot. So I’m looking for someone who can take care of it, who knows what to do.” 

When they had called, Glenda told them that she already tried to get a new dog for Mordred, but the boy insisted that nobody could replace Petey and he didn’t want another dog. So they had decided to take this approach. Arthur saw in Mordred’s face that his mind was working overtime. 

“I don’t want a new dog.”

“Well…it wouldn’t be yours. It would still be mine, just that you would be in charge to make sure she grows up into a strong, healthy dog who knows how to behave.”

“She?”

“Yes, it’s a girl.”

Mordred looked at the puppy. “She can’t replace Petey.”

“She will not even try to do that. Nobody can replace Petey.” Arthur felt Merlin looking at him and hoped he hadn’t gone off the tracks with this. 

“She’s so small.” The boy observed, still not coming closer.

“That’s why she needs someone to protect her and to make sure that she is alright and will have a great life.”

Slowly, Mordred scooted closer on the couch.

“Would you like to hold her for a moment and say hello? To see…I don’t know, if you could do it and if she even likes you?”

Mordred nodded and carefully took the puppy out of Arthur’s arms. “What’s her name?”

Over his head, he could see Glenda smile.


	60. Chapter 60

Arthur stretched his legs underneath the table and smiled at Merlin. “That was good.”

Merlin, who knew exactly that he meant the delicious food they had taken back from Mithy’s, looked up and grinned. “You were good.”

“Oh, you know we had him the moment he laid eyes on the pup.” Arthur’s smile got wider.

“He’s still grieving the loss of Petey, this could have gone terribly wrong and we would have been stuck with a puppy.”

“I never had pets, but I had friends in school who lost pets and never wanted another again. So I thought the ‘oh, hey, I’m helpless with this, can you help me out?’-approach might be the best.” Arthur chuckled. 

“He needed to hear that nobody wanted him to replace Petey. You did a wonderful job.”

Shrugging, Arthur reached for his glass of tea and took a sip. “I just tried it and it worked.”

“Doc Arthur, saving lives left right and center.” Merlin smiled. 

Arthur just made a ‘naah’ sound and then looked up. “Hey, what’s that out there?”

Merlin looked up. “Oh, just a squirrel.”

“They do look different from what I know.”

Merlin’s eye started to twinkle. “You know what we’re doing today?”

“Hm?” 

“Hunting.”

Arthur sat up straight. “You know my approach towards that. If it’s hunted and then consumed I’m fine with it. We’re not going hunting for hunting’s sake.” He frowned.

Merlin laughed. “Not what I meant. Alright, maybe I should call it a safari.”

“Safari?” Arthur blinked. The word alone conjured images of the African savannah, hot weather and giraffes. It was quite the opposite of what he had experienced here. 

“Yes, go look for animals. We’re not doing them any harm and it’s about time you learned how to read tracks.”

Arthur blinked again, but quite differently now. Slowly, deliberately. “You want to make a trapper out of me?”

“It takes years and years to get really good at that. For now, we’ll be working on you being able to tell a squirrel from a moose.” Merlin laughed. 

“Hey! I can do that! Moose are a lot bigger than squirrels.”

“Are you sure about that?” Merlin tried to keep a straight face, letting the image of a moose-sized squirrel appear in Arthur’s mind, before he burst out laughing. “Alright, but how about the difference between an elk and a caribou?”

“One is just an elk and the other pulls Santa’s sleigh. Simple.”

Merlin chuckled. “But…are they the same? And what do caribou do in summer? Can you tell the difference when you see their tracks? Can you tell the difference when you see them?”

“Reindeer are just domesticated caribou. Caribou don’t have red noses.” Arthur couldn’t help but grin. 

“It’s not quite that simple, come on. Let me call Gwaine, he’s the expert on this.” Merlin got up and started to put the dishes away. 

Arthur groaned. “Can’t we just stay on the couch for an afternoon?”

“We’ve spent too many afternoons on the couch lately.”

“Are you saying, you didn’t enjoy what that usually leads to?” Arthur finished his tea and helped with the rest of the dishes. 

Merlin turned and wrapped his arms around him. “I did. And I do. And I would not want to miss a single one of those afternoons. But it’s getting warmer and the sun is up more, we need to take advantage of that. Winter will come back too soon anyway.”

“So…having fun together is only for winter around here?”

Merlin laughed. “Definitely not. Just wait until it’s warm enough to take actions out to the great outdoors.”

Arthur’s face fell. Was Merlin serious? “You’re saying…”

“There’s little lake about an hour away from here. If we go early enough, we can go skinny dipping and then I can have my wicked way with you without the mossies eating us up alive.”

“Mossies?”

“Mosquitos. You don’t want to be bitten by one on your most precious parts, trust me.” Merlin made a face. 

Laughing, Arthur leaned in for a quick kiss. “You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you?”

“Yup.” Merlin grinned. “No fun, trust me.”

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, burying his nose into the crook of Merlin’s neck and inhaling his scent, Arthur wondered what he had gotten himself into. It didn’t matter, he was right in the middle of it already and didn’t want it any other way. 

“So, are you going to call Gwaine?” He whispered after a while. 

Merlin made a sound. “I think you successfully managed to get my interest on another topic.” With a triumphant laugh, he dove for Arthur’s neck and Arthur was sure that he would end up with some hickeys but didn’t mind at all. 

Arthur zoned. Merlin and Gwaine had dragged him through half of the woods around Ealdor all Sunday afternoon, his feet and legs were hurting, he was muddy up to his knees and his hands had a few scratches from holding branches and climbing over fallen trees. Gwaine was going on and on about animal tracks for what seemed like the first minute they had met that day and even if he was actually interested in the topic, Arthur couldn’t have processed that much information. He fully understood why Percy had shaken his head with a laugh when he asked if he would come, too. 

“And while caribou are usually seen a lot further north, sometimes a few find their way here. Their tracks are…”

Different from all other tracks, as it seemed to be with any kinds of tracks. Arthur had looked around suspiciously when Gwaine found some bear tracks, but the difference between a grizzly and a black bear totally escaped Arthur. 

“You know what to do when you run into a bear, don’t you?” Gwaine looked at him. 

“I try not to.” 

“That’s the safest thing to do, but sometimes out here it can’t be avoided. So, what do you do?” Gwaine threw Merlin a glance as if to see if Merlin had taught him the right thing to do.

“Talk, to try to make it go away? Back away slowly? Hope for the best?”

Gwaine rolled his eyes. “Something like that. But how can you tell the difference between a Grizzly and a black bear?” 

“One’s bigger than the other and…not as black?” Arthur knew he was sinking. He never paid much attention to things like these, never had the need for. He’s probably seen those animals when his nanny took him to the zoo as a kid and he preferred not to have close encounters with any of them now. 

“You climb up a tree, that’s what you do!”

Arthur blinked. “To tell the difference between a grizzly and a black bear I have to climb up a tree?” He threw Merlin a look and saw him grin. “What?”

Gwaine beamed. “It’s easy. If it climbs after you, it’s a black bear. If it knocks the tree over, it’s a grizzly.”

Looking from Gwaine to Merlin and back, both of them laughing, Arthur groaned. “Haha. That’s helpful. So helpful.”

“Here.” Merlin handed him a mug of steaming tea. 

“Thanks.” Arthur put the mug down on the coffee table and put his feet up on the couch, sliding down a bit so his head was on one of the arm rests, his feet up on the other. It had been an exhausting day. Gwaine had poured so much info over him that his head was spinning. It was amazing what the man knew. But the mixture of the long hike, all that fresh air and the load of information was quite the mixture. 

“Did Gwaine kill you out there?” Merlin laughed. 

“I felt like such a stupid newbie.”

“Well…”

“Alright, I AM such a stupid newbie, not knowing grizzlies from black bears and squirrels from prairie dogs and elks from caribous…”

Merlin sat down on the coffee table in front of him. “There are not many caribous in London, are there?”

“Not roaming the streets, no. And the worst I’ve ever seen was a fox.”

“There’s nothing bad about foxes.”

“In a big city, there is.” Arthur closed his eyes. 

“One of the reasons I don’t like big cities.” Merlin chuckled. “Alright, come here, you poor mistreated creature. Let me give you a backrub.”

Arthur opened one eye. “A backrub?”

“Or a footrub?”

“And something against the sore muscles in my legs, too?”

Merlin laughed. “We’ll see.” He held his hand out and pulled Arthur up to lead him to the bedroom.


	61. Chapter 61

Arthur thought he had almost gotten used to Merlin’s schedule to first do something outside before they could go back to the house or the cabin and have some together-time. Which wasn’t quite true. They did a lot of things together and Merlin showed him the beauty of the wilderness around Ealdor as the weather got better and it was easier to hike. 

“Isn’t this a great view?” Merlin beamed, his cheeks red from climbing up a steep hill.

“And you dragged me all the way up here to show me how beautiful it is down there?” Arthur was breathing hard. He wasn’t really out of shape, Merlin made sure he got a lot of workout, but climbing up mountains wasn’t one of the things he did regularly. 

“Come on, sit here with me for a moment.” 

Sitting down next to Merlin on a big rock, Arthur’s breath evened out and he accepted the water bottle Merlin held out to him. Now that he wasn’t busy with complaining about the hike and pondering how sore his muscles would be when they were back, he looked around. They only heard the noises of the woods, the chirping of the birds and the rustle of some small animals in the underbrush.

“It’s so peaceful.” Arthur leaned his head on Merlin’s shoulder. “Thanks for taking me here.”

Merlin smiled. “I thought you needed to get away from the hectic hospital life here in Ealdor.”

Arthur chuckled. Compared to what he had been used to, a hospital day in Ealdor felt like an extended lunch break. It could get hectic when all of Ealdor decided to come in at the same time or when people showed up with cuts or something they needed to take care of immediately, but that was a rare occurrence and their schedule was manageable. 

“Would you…” Merlin took a deep breath. “I thought we could have a weekend in the city?”

Arthur threw him a look. “The wild city of Ealdor? With its roaring night clubs and myriads of restaurants and venues?” He chuckled.

“No, I meant Calgary. Or…we could go to Vancouver or somewhere.”

Holding Merlin’s gaze, the corners of Arthur’s mouth very slowly made their way up. “Really?”

Merlin shrugged. “Yes…I thought…” He shrugged again. “We could go see something new?”

Arthur huffed out a chuckle. “That sounds heavenly.”

“Like…a vacation. I’d like to take you to exciting places…Hawaii, Australia, Europe…no, probably not Europe as you know what it looks like there.” Merlin chuckled. “But I can’t afford that. So…you pick the city we go to.”

“Don’t think that I know what all of Europe looks like just because I’m British. I didn’t have much time to travel.”

“And you’ve been working since you first came here. So I thought…a weekend away would probably be nice?” 

Arthur leaned over and just kissed the little questioning smile on Merlin’s face. He always just knew what he needed the most and some time away from Ealdor sounded heavenly. “Love you.”

Merlin kissed back and for a while they just sat there, necking, until Merlin had the brilliant idea of going back and using the rest of the day distinctively not outside. 

“Maybe we should have stayed in Ealdor.” Arthur was clinging to the seatbelt, the handle and the seat itself once again. 

Merlin laughed. “You should have gotten used to flying now.”

“I will never get used to this.”

“Come on, it’s a beautiful day with almost no wind at all.”

“And we’re still in a little metal can that miraculously stays up in the air.”

Merlin chuckled. “Just focus on the scenery, you will forget about the plane soon.”

Arthur highly doubted that. He couldn’t even put a finger on why he was so nervous flying in Berta, it just wasn’t his thing and even though he could appreciate the landscape, he was really happy when they touched down in Calgary again. 

After checking into their hotel, Merlin took him sightseeing and Arthur realized that he had been to the city a few times but had never gotten further than the airport and the hospital in all these months. He took a deep breath and smiled. Even though he loved the fresh air in Ealdor, this was the city, it smelled different, it sounded different, it felt different. 

“What do you want to do now?”

“What is there to do?” 

Merlin shrugged. “Are you hungry? We could have a late lunch and then…I don’t know…are you a shopping person?”

Arthur laughed. That was definitely a topic that had never come up between them. They ordered what they needed either from the trading post or the internet directly and waited for the cargo plane to arrive or for Merlin to pick the smaller things up on one of his flights. 

“Food sounds good and a little shopping never hurt.”

Usually, he had gotten a new set of business suits for special occasions at least once a year and when took a little detour the few times he walked the way home and did some window-shopping, Arthur had often seen things he liked and even though he wasn’t too big on fashion, he had known what the latest trends were. Since he had moved to Ealdor, all that counted was faded jeans and flannel shirts, a jacket that prevented you from freezing to death and sturdy boots. It would be fun to see what he had missed. 

After a light meal, they strolled through the shopping areas and once in a while, one of them stopped at a window and they went into the store to look at things. 

They stumbled back into their hotel room hours later, packed with bags. 

“That was fun.” Arthur grinned. “Here,” he held one bag out to Merlin.

“What’s this?”

“Just take it.”

Carefully, Merlin reached for the bag and pulled out a light sweater that he had admired in one of the stores but put down again as it was a bit on the expensive side. “Arthur!”

“That’s me.” Arthur grinned. 

“You can’t, that’s way too expensive, we’ll take it back tomorrow. Where would I possibly wear this?”

Arthur laughed and then stepped close. “We will do no such thing. You like it, it suits you, you can wear it whenever you like.”

“But…” Merlin looked at him. “I know that you are not making that much money in Ealdor…”

“Hey,” Arthur wrapped his arm around Merlin’s waist and pulled him close. “I don’t need much in Ealdor. After some initial acquisitions…what do I need? Some money for groceries, some for gas but we do much of the getting-around by foot anyway, I don’t pay rent, the utility bills are manageable. And you have to admit that the prices at the pub are way too cheap. So…” He hadn’t thought so himself, fearing that he would starve with the meager salary he got, but he made do with it and didn’t miss a thing. “Would you please accept this?”

A slow smile showed on Merlin’s face before he leaned in and kissed him. “Thank you.”


	62. Chapter 62

They had a late breakfast and went to explore the city some more the next day and Arthur liked how Merlin just took his hand as they were strolling through a park. 

“Is it too cold to sit under a tree for a while?”

Merlin chuckled. “Most likely too wet. It’s been raining here all last week.”

“Oy.”

Now, Merlin laughed. 

“What?”

“I love that little ‘oy’ you make once in a while.”

Arthur looked over. He hadn’t even noticed that this was part of his vocabulary, but obviously he used it often enough for Merlin to notice. “Just like I love your ‘eh?’”

“I’m not doing that!” 

“Sometimes you do.” Arthur grinned. 

“It’s a cliché, we don’t use that all too often.”

Arthur laughed. “I know. But when you do, I love it.”

Merlin mock-frowned and then stopped for a quick kiss. 

“Hey, if we can’t sit under a tree, how about a café? They have their tables outside already and we can soak up some sun while having a fancy coffee?”

“Sounds good.”

They left the park and found a neat little café where Arthur ordered complicated sounding coffees for them that they sipped while doing some people-watching. 

Arthur took a deep breath. He hadn’t been so relaxed in ages. In fact, he couldn’t even remember if he had ever been so relaxed. The hustle of the city – even though not as frantic as in London – was exciting and felt like it was a foreign thing, something that he could soak up and recharge his batteries with. Which was a bit odd, he should be used to it and back home, he never noticed it at all. After the solitude of Ealdor, it was like exploring something new on a vacation. 

It wasn’t true, though, that Ealdor had been peaceful and quiet for him all the time. Some days he had felt like Indiana Jones, cutting old lianes and giant leaves to get through the underbrush of what Doc Mel had left him. He had felt like walking a tight rope, not really feeling prepared with the knowledge he had and more often than not taking more or less educated guesses. He had relied heavily on the people around him, something that he had to learn as he was brought up to trust nobody but himself. 

Slowly, he had found a rhythm and felt that this new environment became more and more familiar territory. Glancing over at Merlin, who just held his face towards the sun and had closed his eyes, Arthur couldn’t help but smiling. This man was the main reason he had not broken down under the weight of the responsibility he had in Ealdor or the strange things that were thrown his way. Merlin, who seemed to understand that he hadn’t grown up around here and saw things differently sometimes but also made him see that change wasn’t always bad. In fact, this was one change in his life that Arthur fully approved of. After all these months, his heart was still beating faster and his stomach did funny things around Merlin. Yes, him, the old cynic who had been convinced that there was nobody out there for him, was in love. Their time of juvenile crushes was long gone, this was what love felt like. 

At least that was what Arthur assumed, it was the first time in his life that he felt anything remotely like this. He loved Merlin and if it meant staying in Ealdor, he would give it a shot. 

Ealdor wasn’t as remote as he thought in the beginning and still pretended to think sometimes. Yes, the town was far away from anything else, so of course people had to build a tightly knit community to survive. Even the weirdos and outsiders who lived far in the woods and only came to the town when it couldn’t be avoided where always welcome. The townspeople had welcomed him, the arrogant know-it-all snob who compared everything to what he had lost. 

Arthur sipped his coffee again. Lately, it didn’t feel like he had lost anything. He did not miss London anymore, he hadn’t spend a single thought on his apartment, certain that Morgana would take care of it. He could imagine a short visit there, to show Merlin where he had grown up and also to make him see that there were indeed big cities that held a certain charm. He could not imagine going anywhere without Merlin. 

The nagging little voice in the back of his head that told him once in a while he was better than a small-town GP and that he threw his life away if he didn’t pursue a life as head of A&E in a notable hospital of a certain size, had piped up less and less lately. He hadn’t even looked for jobs anymore and had stopped surfing the websites that could have pointed him into that direction. 

Arthur knew he had to make an active decision, though. For Merlin, it was clear that they would stay together. At least he had never mentioned anything else. And if Arthur was honest, he didn’t want anything else. So, if he should ever decide he’d had enough of playing small-town GP, Merlin would still be by his side and they would go somewhere else, together. Or, he finally accepted that this wasn’t a short-term gig and he would be Doc Arthur for the rest of his professional life. Or until a bear ate him or something. 

Merlin next to him inhaled deeply and stretched as he opened his eyes. When he turned and smiled at Arthur, Arthur knew that he would prefer being eaten by a bear in Ealdor over getting run over by a taxi in London any day. 

“Should I get us another round or…” Merlin looked at him. 

Arthur shook his head. “Let’s walk around a bit more.”

Merlin took the tray with their empty mugs back inside and when he came out again, Arthur reached for his hand. He had never minded walking hand in hand with Merlin but usually it was Merlin who initiated it. Merlin linked his fingers with his and smiled.


	63. Chapter 63

It just somehow happened, Arthur didn’t know exactly who wanted to enter some shops again and now he stood in his room, surrounded by tons of shopping bags yet again. 

“Are you sure we can pack all of this into Berta?”

Merlin laughed. “You still don’t trust her. She can hold a lot more cargo than you think and we even transported people to the hospital if it was necessary.”

“That can’t be comfortable.”

“It is not, but if it has to be, Berta can do it.” Merlin looked around. “So…what exactly did we buy today? What’s in this bag?”

Arthur peeked into it. “It’s Gwen’s scarf.” They had seen it at a street vendor’s cart and both immediately thought of Gwen. She deserved a little thank-you after all she had done for him and for holding down the fort while they were gone. 

“Oh, okay. She will love it.”

“She will claim that we shouldn’t have and that it’s too elegant to wear in Ealdor, that’s what she’ll do.” Arthur grinned.

“That, too, but secretly she will love it.”

“I hope so.”

They had gotten a few small things for the cabin and then Merlin had wanted to go to one of the larger department stores as he ‘needed new shirts’. Which was true, some of his had frayed edges and just the other day, his elbow had finally made its way through the sleeve of his favorite flannel shirt. When Merlin was done picking out two new shirts, Arthur had managed to sneak a burgundy coloured plain shirt onto the stack. Merlin had protested, but Arthur thought he would look good in it and he needed something for the summer fest anyway. 

Next to the shirts, there was a whole department for men’s underwear. Usually, Arthur wasn’t too big on stuff like that, but a long winter of wearing long-johns made him feel like he needed something new. So he had stocked up on boxer briefs and had convinced Merlin to get a few new pairs, too.

“So, are you going to model this for me?” Merlin grinned widely when he shook the content of the entire bag onto the bed. 

“Which ones?” Arthur grinned. “You seem to have a thing for fashion shows.” He remembered the one vividly where Gwen and Merlin had made him model all the things he had ordered to survive his first weeks in Ealdor. 

“Only when you’re the top model.” Merlin laughed, leaned in to kiss his cheek and picked a pair of dark blue ones out of the stack. “Are those yours or mine?”

Arthur threw him a look. “They’re too big to be yours. Your wear a much smaller size.”

“Are you trying to say my arse is too skinny?”

“No, just that mine is too fat.”

Merlin groaned and rolled his eyes. “Yes, and because it is too fat, I love it so much.” He tossed the undies at Arthur. “Stop saying ugly stuff about yourself all the time. I love you the way you are. In fact, I have quite a thing for your arse.”

Arthur huffed, unable to be cross any longer. It was true. Merlin could spend what sometimes felt like hours almost worshipping his behind. 

“Wear it for me?” Merlin wiggled his eyebrows. 

Slowly, Arthur kicked his shoes off. He would NOT give Merlin a show here now. He knew that his body wasn’t too bad but Ealdor didn’t have a gym and going for a jog was difficult most of the time. Merlin gave him regular workouts but the good food did its thing. He knew he wasn’t really out of shape, but he wasn’t really in shape either. Slowly, he pulled the jeans off his legs and then the undies he was wearing. 

Merlin had removed the tags of the briefs in question and held them out, so Arthur stepped into them and pulled them up as quickly as possible. 

“So…what are you saying? Do they meet your approval?” He held his arms out to the sides. 

Merlin just threw him a look. “The socks?”

Sighing dramatically, Arthur pulled the socks off his feet and did a little involuntary dance while doing so, hopping around on one leg. That was distinctively not sexy. “Better?”

“The sweater?”

“What’s wrong with the sweater?” Okay, two could play this game. If Merlin wanted to see him almost-naked, he needed to work for it, too. 

“It’s in the way and spoils my view. Take it off.”

“Make me.” Arthur grinned. 

Of course, Merlin was game and jumped up right away. He closed the space between them and with one swift motion, he had pulled the sweater over Arthur’s head and tossed it aside. “That’s better.”

Arthur just stood there.

“Turn around.”

He did, deliberately clumsy. 

“Stop.”

Arthur stopped when he had turned his back towards Merlin. 

“Hmm…”

“What?”

“I think I need to…”

Arthur felt Merlin’s hand on his buttock and chuckled. “So?”

“That’s better.” Merlin was really close now and whispered against his neck as he sprinkled little kisses all over it. 

Shivering, Arthur forgot all his self-consciousness. If Merlin sounded so hungry, he obviously didn’t mind all his shortcomings. “And what are you going to do now?” He felt Merlin chuckled against his skin and then he stepped away and started to rummage through their shopping bags. Arthur knew exactly what Merlin was looking for: The things they had bought when they had slipped into the sex shop like giggling teenagers. They had stocked up on condoms and lube, but also found some condoms that were a bit out of the ordinary – at least for them – and lube that had flavours and whatnot. 

“What are you looking for?” 

Merlin let out a triumphant cry and held up some condoms with nubs. “Should we try these?”

Arthur knew he was in for a fun night and nodded enthusiastically.


	64. Chapter 64

Even though Arthur wouldn’t have minded staying for a few more days, he was looking forward to going back to Ealdor. They loaded all their purchases into Berta and Arthur managed to look around after they had departed. 

“I’d fly a little loop, so you could look at the city once more, but this close to the airport, that’s not advisable.” Merlin reached over and squeezed his hand. 

“Could you…”

“I know, I know, both hands and focus.” Merlin chuckled. 

They were well on their way to Ealdor and even though he didn’t really relax, Arthur peeked at the surroundings. “The snow is almost gone.”

“Welcome to summer.” Merlin grinned.

“It’s not summer yet. Look, there’s still snow on that mountain over there.”

Merlin laughed. “There will be snow on this mountain all through summer but it will be getting warmer and warmer. Trust me, we can get the t-shirts from the back of the closets soon.”

Arthur doubted that. A few degrees above freezing was ‘warm’ for most Ealdorians which was something he wasn’t used to yet. The thought of being out and about in jeans and a t-shirt seemed to be something from another life. “As if.”

Soon, they landed on the airstrip and while Merlin unloaded the plane, Arthur went to get the truck, so they could take all of their new possessions home. When they were back at the house, Arthur looked around. Despite of his thoughts of making Ealdor his permanent home, he had expected to feel caged and locked in the moment he was back but found that wasn’t true. It felt like coming back to where he needed to be at this point in his life. He didn’t even mind that they didn’t go to the cabin right away, he spent most of his time at Merlin’s anyway. 

“Thanks, Mithy…Yes, we’re back…it was wonderful…yes, of course we did do some shopping…” Arthur laughed. “Listen…we’re unpacking and Merlin had to do all this flying…could you whip us up something delicious and I come over and pick it up?...No, that’s not…you don’t…alright, sounds great, thanks!” Arthur hung up as Merlin dragged the last of their things inside. 

“What was that?”

“Called for food.” Arthur grinned. “I figured you don’t feel like cooking and my cooking skills are still not up to par, so I called Mithy. She’s going to make something.”

“Want me to go over and pick it up?”

“Nope,” Arthur grinned. “We get a special delivery sercive.”

Merlin blinked. “Mithy doesn’t offer deliveries. She has tried it before, but you know the folks around here, they rather come in for a chat.” He grinned. 

“That’s what I said, but she insisted.”

Merlin frowned. “What’s going on?”

Arthur laughed. “She said Leon will drop it off on his way, he will pass by here anyway.”

“The local Mountie branches out…” Merlin laughed, too. “We need to make sure to give him a generous tip.”

Of course, Leon didn’t accept a tip when he brought them a big container full of delicious things and left them alone right after as he had some ‘Mountie things’ to do, whatever that meant. 

+++

_Morgs!_

_I’ve attached a few photos from Calgary. It was like a weeks-long vacation and just what we needed. ___

__Arthur knew Morgana didn’t want to see photos of the sights, so he had picked out a few of Merlin and him. One in the restaurant, one from where they had stopped for a soda on their shopping trip, one in the mall._ _

___When we came back, nothing had changed in Ealdor._ _ _

__Well, what could possibly have changed in three days in a community that probably needed decades to change at all?_ _

___Gwen liked the silky scarf we brought her. She scolded me for spending money, but she has done so much for me in the past months and she held down the fort while I was gone, so she deserved it. I’m happy that we found something she liked._ _ _

__Gwen had alternately thrown him dark looks and beamed like a Christmas tree. She wore it when she came in in the mornings and carefully folded it and put it in a special place in her locker during the day._ _

_Ealdor gets busier the warmer it gets._

Which wasn’t too much of a surprise as there was a lot to do. Arthur had found out quickly that spring and summer meant longer hours when the sun was up and with that came the preparations for the next, long winter. 

_Everybody is already looking forward to the summer fest, even though that is still a few weeks away._

The others had talked him into doing another fund-raiser, even though he didn’t want to overdo it. He didn’t expect to get as much money as at the spring fest, but that didn’t matter. They needed to show the people of Ealdor that they meant it and that they weren’t slacking off in their effort to renew things. 

_You wouldn’t believe how many mosquitos there are now! It gets especially bad when you get near any of the smaller lakes that are around Ealdor, but I’m surprised that they really do exist in such vast numbers._

Merlin had a good laugh when Arthur woke up one morning and a mossie had caught him on the lid of his right eye, so he looked like he had been in a fight. Grinning, Arthur attached the photo that Merlin had snapped. Morgana would have a good laugh, too. 

_The cases at the hospital have changed a bit. We treat a lot of rashes and other things that occur even more often in summer, when people are out and about. Nothing too bad, though, so sometimes we even get some minutes to breathe._

He had the feeling that people didn’t come in with whatever they had because they didn’t have time and would swamp the clinic again when the days got shorter and they couldn’t work outside that much. He tried to let everyone know that whatever they had, they should come as soon as possible as some things weren’t as severe when they were caught in an early stage, but he felt like talking to a wall in some cases. 

If he were honest, though, he enjoyed the brief moments when he looked at Gwen and she looked back at him and they were almost bored. They had even made plans to finally give some of the rooms a fresh coat of paint and were still discussing colours. 

_Everybody says hi. You left quite the impression. The ‘old geezers’ are still talking about you and remind me every time I meet them that I should invite you back soon. That said, you know you are always welcome._

Arthur knew that Morgana wouldn’t come back that soon. She had started her new job and from what she wrote, she really liked it, so she wouldn’t take another vacation that quickly. 

_Letting you in on a secret…well, we don’t know if it is one yet, but it looks as if Percy and Gwaine are going to sneak away to get married. Lately, they keep making remarks about a little get-away and each of them is smiling just so when they mention it._

It was just a hunch and it was actually Merlin who had pointed it out, but he had known both of them his entire life, so of course he was better at something like that. Arthur didn’t mind either way. If they wanted to get married, good for them. 

_Hope, everything is alright in good old London town and your life is a thrilling as always._

_Love,  
Arthur_


	65. Chapter 65

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Arthur looked around. He would have never ever in a million years believed that it could get this hot in Ealdor. It was up north, so how? Yes, he did understand that the sun was up a lot earlier now and that it almost didn’t get dark at night, which meant that they did not only get light a lot longer, but the sun was burning down any chance it got. Yes, he knew the physics behind it about the axis of the Earth and rotation around the sun and everything. It was still quite unbelievable how a place that was so dark and cold for months could get temperatures well over 30° C. 

He blew out a breath and returned to the task at hand. Which was painting the walls in his office. Gwen had insisted that they started there and she was right. The room was too dark, which added to an atmosphere of gloominess and the wallpaper must have originated in the 60s. They had decided to fix where it was peeling off the wall and then give it a friendly new coat of paint in a nice light blue. Blue was calming and even though they were only done with one wall, it already looked friendlier. 

They had moved all his furniture and other things out into the waiting room, so they could treat emergencies. All other appointments were postponed, not that there had been too many. 

Gwen had smudge of paint on her cheek. “It already looks so much better. We should have done that right when you came here.”

They both knew that they didn’t have the funds to do more than the most urgent repairs – like replace that one window pane that had the ugly crack in it and buy the computer system – when he arrived but she was right, the entire building needed a make-over and it was good to start somewhere. 

“I hope the patients will like it.” Arthur wasn’t too sure. He still had to fight with ‘Doc Mel this’ and ‘Doc Mel that’ and the old wallpaper and brownish-green paintjob he had left still connected the townspeople with a person they had admired and loved. Then again, it was probably high time to make these changes to make them see that this was his office now. All these months were enough tribute to Doc Mel, it needed to look like Doc Arthur’s office. 

Gwen laughed. “You know them. Some of them will complain, some of them will be thrilled, they all will get used to it.”

Arthur nodded. That was exactly what would be happening. 

They worked for a while on the second wall when they heard the front door open. 

“It’s just me.” Lance yelled, so they didn’t drop their utensils to rush out. “I thought you might need another hand or so.” 

When he came in, already equipped with a hat folded out of an old paper, Gwen went over to put a quick peck on his lips. 

“Look at this mess. We need all the help we can get.” Arthur laughed. “Cold drinks are in the fridge in the break room.”

Lance held up a basket. “Linny from next door pushed this on me when she heard where I was going. There’s iced tea…which is probably not so iced anymore, it needs a while in the fridge…and sandwiches…and some treats and things. I’ll just put it in the break room and be right back, alright?”

Arthur shook his head. This was something that would never happen back home. When people heard that you were working on something, they wrinkled their noses and demanded to know why you didn’t call in a tradesman. Here, they sent you food to make it through the day. Chuckling to himself, Arthur put more paint on his paint roller. As if he knew what people ack home would do in such a situation, he had been one of those who would have yelled for a tradesperson right away. 

“Where’s Merlin?” Lance started on the third wall and it showed that he had done this before. He was much more efficient and worked a lot faster. 

“On a flight to Mercia. Don’t ask me what he’s taking there or getting back. He probably told me but when it comes to his cargo, I tend to forget about it as soon as I hear it.” Arthur laughed. 

They worked for a while and then Gwen stepped back. “I think we’re done for now.” She looked around. 

“If we could leave the window open throughout the night, it will be dry tomorrow morning.” Arthur made a face. “But I think it’s probably better to wait another day. I’ll stay late and only close the windows when I’m going to leave.”

“What about Merlin?” Gwen frowned.

“What about Merlin?” Arthur looked at her. 

“Won’t he miss you when you’re not home?”

Arthur laughed. “He’s in Mercia. He’ll probably stay the night, nobody will miss me at the cabin or the house.”

Right on cue the front door opened again. 

“Am I too late?”

Lance laughed. “Someone didn’t want to spend the night in Mercia because he missed someone else too much.”

Merlin peeked his head in. “Oh…”

“Oh? That’s quite the greeting.” Gwen giggled. 

“I thought I would be on time to help.”

Arthur waved him in. “Be careful. We left a bit of a mess on the plastic over there, don’t step in that.” When Merlin was close and leaned in for a quick kiss, Arthur smiled. He hadn’t expected to see Merlin before the next day, it was nice that he was back already. “Everything okay?”

Merlin nodded. “Yup, Gwaine was at the airfield when I landed and helped unload. I was done a lot quicker than I thought.” He looked around. “Wow…is that the same room? It looks great, so much bigger already!”

Gwen threw Arthur a look and smiled widely. “That was the intention. The dark walls everywhere make the place gloomy and stuffy. With a bit of fresh paint, we can do miracles!”

“We only have enough paint left for the waiting area and the entrance,” Arthur observed. “But we had to start somewhere. And you,” he turned to Merlin, “You can help us when we paint those rooms.”

“Aye, aye!” Merlin grinned. “And I have a treat for all the hard-working people in this room.” He held up a bag. 

“Beaver liver? Fish brain?” Arthur offered, remembering when Gwaine and Merlin had tried to make him believe that those were the delicatessen of the area. 

“Ah..” Merlin shook his head. “Not that good, sorry, but…how about ice cream?”

That sounded a lot better. They quickly cleaned up and moved all the drinks and food to the little camping table they had set up in the patch of grass behind the hospital. Arthur thought he’d never had iced tea that was so refreshing and the ice cream was his favorite kind. 

Life was good.


	66. Chapter 66

On the last day of school, Arthur went over to talk to the children again. 

“Look who’s here, children. It’s Doctor Pendragon!”

“Who?” A small boy asked. 

“I’m Doc Arthur.”

“Oh, you.” The boy beamed and Arthur couldn’t exchange a look with Lance or else he would have burst out laughing. So nobody cared who Doctor Pendragon was, but everyone knew Doc Arthur. 

“Hey kids!”

“What are you telling us today, Doc?” Mordred asked, his eyes shining in excitement. 

Arthur didn’t want to lecture the children. He wanted to remind them of the dangers that swimming in a lake or the nearby river could hold and the myriad of different berries and leaves that shouldn’t be consumed, the animals that were out and about, but most of them knew a lot more about this than he did. 

“Ah…you know…I thought…” He shrugged. “I’m still rather new here. This is my first summer in Ealdor. So…how about…” He pretended to think really hard. “How about you tell me what I need to do to stay safe this summer?”

Lance smiled widely when he saw the children’s immediate reaction. They had talked about this approach and neither had been sure that it would turn out this way, but almost all hands were up in the air and especially the smaller kids fell all over themselves to help the Doc out. 

“So, what am I to do when I…even though I tried not to…run into a bear?” Arthur asked.

“Hope that Merlin is around to save you.” A lanky teenager murmured under his breath and everyone laughed. 

“That’s a good start, but what if I am out in the woods without Merlin?” Arthur bit his lower lip to not laugh out loud. 

“You’re never out in the woods without Merlin, so…” Little Cara in first row shrugged. 

It was almost scary how well everybody knew about his habits. “Well…then…let’s say, Merlin’s on a flight and I’m at the cabin…sitting on my porch…and a momma bear walks into my back yard with her cubs. What am I going to do?”

“Google ‘how to get rid of a bear’.” One of the kids offered right away.

Not even Lance could keep it together after that and they all laughed. Arthur knew he deserved it, it had been a stupid thing trying to google when Alfred first showed up at the cabin and he would never live it down. He laughed with them, knowing it just was teasing and nobody meant any harm. 

They could barely get the discussion back on topic after that, but finally they had covered all the areas Lance wanted him to touch, they wished the children a great summer and they were released. 

“We’re going to have a little barbeque on Saturday,” Lance said when the children had left. “We hope that you and Merlin will come over.”

Arthur smiled. “Sure. Thanks. Just let us know what to bring.” Things were so different here. Back home, when you were with someone and someone else invited both of you, you needed to check back with your someone and convince them to go and then find a thousand excuses why you unfortunately couldn’t make it. Here, the only question was which part of the too much food that would be there was the one that you brought along. “Thanks.”

“Oh, that’s Gwen’s job, I only operate the grill. She doesn’t let me anywhere near the kitchen for anything else.”

A small figure appeared in the doorframe again. 

“Mordred! Did you forget something?” Lance immediately looked around for forgotten bags or small things. 

“No, I just…” 

A dog that looked quite familiar jumped in and ran over to sniff at Arthur’s shoes excitedly, wagging its behind. 

“Is that…?” Arthur hadn’t seen Mordred and the dog in a while, only heard from others that they spent a lot of time together and that Mordred was taking good care of her. 

“That’s Bella, yes. She grew a bit.” Mordred beamed. 

Squatting down to pet the dog, Arthur didn’t escape the licks and fell back on his butt. Bella was overjoyed that someone finally got down to her level and was all over him. “A bit? She’s more than three times the size!” Arthur laughed. 

“She’s already good at ‘sit’.” Mordred tried to demonstrate, but the young dog was too distracted to listen to him. “Oh.”

“I am sure you’re training her very well.” Arthur scrambled up again. He waited until the dog looked at him and said “Sit!” Bella threw Mordred a sideways look and sat down. “Good girl.” He petted her head. “You’ve done a great job, Mordred. I’m proud of you.”

Mordred looked up at him and then hugged him quickly before he ran out of the room, Bella immediately following him. 

+++

The barbeque at Lance’s house had been great and Arthur enjoyed every minute of it. As predicted, there was too much food but standing around the grill, talking as if he knew what was going on and enjoying the hot summer day was fun. He managed to catch a bit of a sunburn, but he didn’t care. Summer was short and needed to be spent outside. 

So he didn’t object when Merlin suggested a little early morning hike to a lake. It was still cool enough to hike for a while and they were rewarded with a nice and quiet lake when they arrived. 

Merlin threw him a sideways look when they had put down their backpacks and taken off their hiking boots. 

“What?”

“Oh…nothing.”

Arthur laughed. “It’s not nothing when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Merlin teased.

“As if you want to…” Arthur looked around. “Do things.”

Merlin laughed. “Do you really think I would drag you here to do…things?”

“Yes, yes I really think that.” Arthur tossed one of his socks at Merlin. 

“If you think so lowly of me…” Merlin smirked, “how about some skinny dipping?”

Arthur blinked. “Won’t people show up here soon?”

“So?”

“Oh, feeling adventurous, Mr. Emrys?”

“Are you, Doctor Pendragon?” Merlin was already half out of his clothes and before Arthur even pulled his t-shirt over his head, he had run towards the water and was in waist-deep. “What are you waiting for?”

Arthur took his time. They had been to various lakes before and that one time, he had chickened out of skinny dipping with Merlin and just sat at the shore and watched. Merlin was a strong swimmer and a sight to see, all lean and wet and fast. So he took the rest of his clothes off and watched as Merlin swam to the other side of the lake and was wading in slowly – the water was still a lot colder than Merlin had made him believe – as Merlin came back. 

He got up and shook the water out of his hair and Arthur laughed. 

“What’s so funny?”

“You looked a lot like a dog shaking.”

Merlin grinned and then tried to make a scary face and growled. “Like this?”

Laughing, Arthur was not prepared that Merlin would splash him with water and the water was COLD. He would never admit that he squealed like a little girl before he threw himself at Merlin to duck him under. 

They played in the water for a while, laughing and uttering severe threats of how they would pay each other back for splashing and ducking before they stepped out of the lake to dry. They needed to go back before it got too hot to hike. 

“I can’t put my stuff on yet.”

“Why?” Merlin grinned. 

“I’m still wet.”

“Then come here, the fallen tree is in the sun, we’ll be dry in no time.” Merlin straddled the trunk and pat the space in front of him. 

Obediently, Arthur got over and did the same, turning his back towards Merlin and his face into the sun. He knew he should have shivered as the water of the lake was still quite cool, but he felt Merlin right behind him and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment. 

“Mmm.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing.” Merlin started to kiss his shoulder and lick up the little droplets falling down from his hair. 

“Merlin...” Tilting his head enough for Merlin to give him better access, Arthur may have sounded annoyed, but his actions showed that he was actually all for it. 

“What?” Merlin murmured into his hairline and made him shiver. 

“If you keep this up…oh yes, right there…we will never make it back.”

“So?” Merlin licked at the rim of his ear and Arthur forgot all his protest. 

The most risqué thing Arthur had ever done was leaving the patio door open at the cabin when Merlin bent him over the back of the couch and he had felt watched by all the animals that might have been in the vicinity. Out here, someone could be on a hike and see them but Arthur didn’t spare a single thought on that. It was exciting feeling the light breeze on his entire body as Merlin teased him just enough to make him hard and horny. 

Merlin knew just what to do. He knew his body so well and it didn’t take long before he pushed him forward onto the tree to prepare him and then shove in. Arthur’s head was spinning, he had never felt anything remotely like this before. The rough, sun-warmed bark of the tree against his chest and Merlin hot and hard inside him. The position was a bit awkward but he couldn’t care less as he clung to the tree and tried to meet Merlin’s thrusts. 

It didn’t take long enough and Arthur could have gone on forever but it had to end eventually and he splattered his cum all over the tree trunk. 

Merlin was panting hotly into his neck as he, too, came. 

“Fuck…”

“That’s…what they call it…” Merlin chuckled as he slowly pulled out. 

“That was…”

“Yes.”

Arthur still lay there, his chest against the trunk, his arse exposed and stretched, trying to get his breath back. “You planned this.”

Merlin had slid off the trunk and sat on the soft moss on the floor. “Well…probably not planned, but I sure had hoped for it.” 

Grinning lazily, Arthur definitely wasn’t cross, this was the hottest thing ever.


	67. Chapter 67

They didn’t have any paint left but the rooms they wanted to redo were done. Gwaine and Percy had helped painting the window frames and putting the furniture back in its place and now the entrance, the waiting area and Arthur’s office looked light and friendly. It still smelled a bit of wet paint, but if the weather kept up, they could air this out in no time. 

A few patients had commented on it when they came in and only one of them mentioned that Doc Mel would probably not have liked it. Arthur had just chuckled. There was no need pointing out that these were his offices now and Doc Mel would probably not care at all if he painted them pink or apricot with mint dots – apricot and mint being colours he had never really heard about before and only knew now because Gwen had been harping on and on about them. No, no apricot and no mint for him, the light blue was good. 

He would have loved to have a new desk and new chairs but that couldn’t be helped now, there was no money left and they needed to paint all the other rooms, too, which probably had to wait until next spring. At least he could get rid of some of Doc Mel’s nicknacks when they dragged the furniture back into his office. Maybe he would look online for a cheap art print or something that would round up the new look and made the office look a bit cleaner and better organized. Doc Mel sure had some emotional attachment to all the paintings and drawings and whatnots that he had put up, but he had not. This was his office now and it was about time that people saw it. 

The summer fest was just around the corner and once again they had gotten lots of donations that they were going to sell. Arthur knew they were lacking Morgana this time and hoped that they would sell everything they had in their booth. He needn’t have worried. The people of Ealdor saw that he was trying to change the hospital for the better and they contributed what they could. 

“They started the dance.” Merlin came over just as Arthur was selling the last jar of jam. 

Distractedly, he looked up. “Yeah…we need to clean up here and put the tables away, then I can…”

“Go.” Lance grinned. “We’ve got this here.”

“You’ve all been working so hard all day long, I can’t just run away now.” Arthur protested. 

Merlin grabbed his wrist and pulled him from behind the table. “If you don’t come to the dance floor…” He started to dance with him as the music floated over. 

“Aw, isn’t it romantic?” Gwaine teased and Arthur felt himself blush. 

He knew he was a bad dancer, but Merlin liked it, so sometimes he just put on some music and went to wherever Merlin was to be found in the house and distracted him from doing what he was doing and danced with him. It was for Merlin, not for him, so he danced with him now, in front of everybody who cared to watch. 

“You’ve got a slight sunburn on your nose,” Merlin whispered close to his ear. 

“And you have freckles all over.” Arthur had noticed that after one of the first summer hikes they had done. When Merlin was out in the sun, he developed freckles and they were utterly adorable. 

“All over? Are you sure?” Merlin nipped his earlobe with his teeth playfully and then swirled him around. 

“Maybe I need to make sure tonight.” Arthur stuck his tongue out to him. 

“Hey, you love birds,” Gwaine called over. “We’re done here and are going to get some food. We’ll save you seats, alright?”

“Mmhmm…” Arthur didn’t care about food right now, even though the barbeque and the home-made salads and veggies and what nots most likely were delicious and he didn’t want to disappoint anyone by not trying theirs. Merlin was more important. He smelled like sun on skin and the summer. 

Merlin nuzzled into his neck. “Would you rather go home?”

Arthur took a deep breath and pulled back. “I would, but we can’t let them down.” Just then, Merlin’s stomach grumbled. “And I’d rather feed you before taking you home.” 

They stayed at the fest until late at night, eating, drinking, talking and having fun. 

+++

It was one of the rare evenings that he was at the cabin. Someone had to take care of it once in a while and Merlin would probably not be back from his flight, so it didn’t matter where he stayed. He had cleaned a little bit – it was amazing how much dust collected even without someone around who produced the dust – and then decided to catch up on some email and shop around online a bit if he saw something that Merlin might like. 

As always, it took forever for his laptop to boot and then for his email program to open. Expecting all spam mail and probably a new email from Morgana, Arthur blinked when he saw the email address. 

Stephanie.N.Miller.HR@StMarian.co.uk

St. Marian’s. One of the big hospitals he had applied to all these months ago. He had never gotten an answer and since he had come to Canada, he hadn’t followed up on his application. He had been here for almost nine months. Usually, you either got a refusal right away or you never heard from them again. What did it mean that they were trying to contact him now?

For a split second, Arthur pondered to just delete the email, but his curiosity got the better of him. He had gotten a few replies to applications when he first came here, but they were offering him starter positions in orthopaedics and the other was one of those dubious ‘wherever we need you’ things which meant you had to know everything and had to be willing to drop what you were holding while another department needed you. He had politely declined and if this was anything like this, he would at least show more manners than they did and reply in a timely manner. 

_Doctor Pendragon,_

_We are happy to inform you that there is an opening as acting head of A &E…_

Arthur didn’t know if he wanted to read further. Would he have to interview? Had they picked him already? What would he do? He looked around the cabin but didn’t really see anything, the blood rushing in his ears. 

Taking a deep breath, he continued reading. Obviously they had heard that he had gone abroad and it sounded as if they considered the knowledge he could gather an asset. Also, they needed someone as soon as possible. 

_Please let us know when it’s convenient for you to call so we can go over the details._

This sounded as if he was already hired. Or at least very high on their list. 

His mind already calculated the time difference. Was it too late to find out about the details now? When he came to the conclusion that it was in the middle of the night in London now, Arthur took a deep breath. Did he want to find out about the details at all? But this was what he had always wanted. Having the responsibility of the A&E, with some time to learn and then take over when the boss retired, that was his plan from the very beginning. This here in Ealdor was just to tide over until the opportunity came up. It seemed it was here now. 

Arthur got up and paced the room. How quickly did they expect him to show up? How fast would they be able to move? Looking around, Arthur noticed that he didn’t have too many things in the cabin, most of his stuff was at Merlin’s house and Merlin didn’t own much either. He still had his place in London and it was big enough for the two of them, at least in the beginning. When he had gained ground in the new job, they could go look for something bigger. 

Blowing out a deep breath, Arthur felt exhausted from this news already. Maybe he should just go and take a shower and then come back and think about this a bit more.


	68. Chapter 68

When Arthur came back from the shower, toweling his hair, he stopped in his tracks. There, by the laptop, stood Merlin, unmoving. 

“Hey! You’re back! Didn’t you want to stay the night? I’m happy that you’re back already!” Arthur knew he was babbling as he went over to press a kiss on Merlin’s cheek. 

Merlin stared at the screen of the laptop. “When did you mean to tell me?”

“What? Merlin, this surprised me. I applied to them long before I even came here.”

“But you’re considering it.” Merlin swallowed hard. 

Arthur took a deep breath. He wouldn’t lie to Merlin. “It’s the opportunity I’ve always wanted.”

“When will you be leaving?” Merlin stood stock-still. 

“Can we sit down and talk about this?” He reached for Merlin’s wrist, but Merlin didn’t move. 

“What’s there to talk about? You came here, had a bit of fun and now you go back to your sophisticated high-speed life and have a good laugh at the stupid Canadian townspeople with your doctor friends.”

Arthur stepped back. This was like a slap in the face. “I came here because Ealdor was the only chance I got and I’ve been working hard to be part of it, don’t you think? I would never make fun of the people here!”

Merlin looked at him, tears in his eyes. “But you’re not saying ‘because I’m one of them now’. You never wanted to be and I was stupid enough to not see it.”

“Merlin! If you listened for a moment…I just opened this email, I have done nothing about it, it surprises me just as much as it surprises you. We need to talk because I won’t be leaving without you. Maybe they don’t want me at all in the end and we’re staying anyways.” Arthur knew that this all came out wrong and would explode in his face. 

“You didn’t reply right away that you don’t want the job. That’s a decision.” Merlin sniffed. “And you know I won’t be leaving. This town is my home. I’ve tried the big city before…for someone else…and I was left with nothing in the end. I’m much better off in Ealdor and that’s where I’ll be staying.” Merlin shook Arthur’s hand off, turned and left. 

Running to the door, Arhur yelled after him. “Merlin! MERLIN! Come back, we need to talk!”

But Merlin didn’t turn around, climbed in his truck and drove off. For a moment, Arthur considered following him, but then decided against it. If a little email made Merlin overreact like that, it was probably better to give him time to cool off. 

Merlin’s reaction also made him a bit angry. Merlin didn’t want to hear him out, Merlin didn’t want to see reason. He had no intention of helping him making the right decision, so he had to make it for himself first before he could talk to him again. 

Arthur paced the cabin until it finally got dark late at night, but he couldn’t go to bed. He had slept in this bed alone for a few nights, but basically Merlin had always been there. The place was empty without him, so Arthur threw himself on the couch, but didn’t find sleep. What was he supposed to do?

+++

“Wow, someone had a wild night.” Gwen teased when he came in in the morning. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” Arthur murmured and went to get changed. He needed to get a grip and go through the day as if nothing had happened because actually, nothing had happened. There was one little email that he could just ignore. 

Then again, his mind couldn’t ignore it. It had never been in his future to be a small-town GP, he had trained to work in an A&E and he knew he was good there. And then he had come here just because he couldn’t, didn’t want to work for his father and it was never meant to be a forever thing. Even when Merlin showed up in the picture, he had basically just assumed that Merlin would come along when he got the chance to follow his dream. 

Burying his face in his hands, Arthur groaned. They had never spoken about it. They had both just assumed, none of them able to define what they had and to put up clear lines of what they would do and what they wouldn’t. It had been so easy. Arthur’s heart ached. He couldn’t leave Merlin behind and he didn’t want to hurt him. But…Merlin obviously wasn’t willing to give anything up for him…why did he want him to give up his dream?

Gwen came in and Arthur wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. He hadn’t reached a point where he could talk to anyone. 

“I don’t know what happened, but take all the time you need, I’ll send everyone home.” She put a mug of tea on his desk and quietly left his office. 

The tea got cold before Arthur decided to pull the email up on his screen again. This little thing, a few words on a screen, caused so much drama and turmoil. What if he found out what it actually meant before he tried to talk to Merlin again? He needed more details before he could make a decision. 

When he hit the send-button, Arthur didn’t feel as if he was one step further. Even if they would tell him all the things he wanted to hear, would he be able to give Merlin up for it? Merlin had made it very clear that he wouldn’t leave Ealdor and if Arthur listened to his heart, he knew that he had never been happier and more relaxed. Other relationships he’d had were a constant battle for domination, even in the tiniest things. It was so easy with Merlin. Merlin let him be who he was and when he was around him, he was a better person. 

They would be able to have that in London, too, wouldn’t they? 

It got late, much later than the actual opening hours of the hospital and Arthur hadn’t come to a conclusion. He heard Gwen rummaging around outside and wished she would just go home. Part of him knew he was thinking in circles, but he couldn’t talk to anyone right now. 

Slowly, the door was opened and Gwen peeked inside. 

“Don’t work overtime, Gwen, you know we can’t pay for it.” He tried to joke.

There was a hint of smile on her face and then she grew serious again. “As I said before, I don’t know what happened. But go, talk to him. You can work it out.”

Of course it was obvious to her that there was an issue with Merlin. 

“It’s not that easy, Gwen, but I appreciate your concern.”

Gwen threw him a very long look before she nodded and slowly closed the door again. Not too long later, Arthur heard her locking the front door and he was alone.


	69. Chapter 69

Arthur stood in front of Merlin’s house but couldn’t bring himself to take the two steps up the stairs and then knock at the door. He had never knocked on this door before, it had always been open for him. He was convinced that it wasn’t locked as Merlin never locked his doors but he had the feeling he wasn’t welcome at the moment. 

It had been another night of tossing and turning and in the morning, he’d had a reply from Ms. Miller at St. Marian’s. He was basically hired, all he had to do was say yes and let them know how fast he could make it back. Arthur had stared at the email for hours. If only they had replied right away when he first applied, this entire mess wouldn’t have happened as he would have never set foot into Ealdor. 

But he had and now he needed to sort things out before he made a decision. He just couldn’t. Knowing deep down in his heart that Merlin would never leave Ealdor, Arthur knew he had to pick either the man he loved or the career he wanted. 

While he was standing there, contemplating, the door opened and Merlin looked at him. 

“Come on in.”

“Am I still welcome?”

“We need to talk.”

Nodding, Arthur got closer and stepped inside, which felt really weird. He had basically lived here for months and now it felt like he was a stranger. 

Merlin gestured towards the couch and went to get them some lemonade. Merlin knew he loved his homemade lemonade, it wasn’t fair. 

There was a long moment of silence before Merlin asked “So, what have you decided?”

Arthur looked at him. “Nothing so far.”

Shaking his head, Merlin huffed out a humourless chuckle. “Arthur, you have made your decision the moment you read the email. If you weren’t interested in this job, you would have deleted it right away or at least right after you told them you already have a job.”

“Merlin…this is what I always wanted…”

Merlin looked down at his hands. “Then that’s it?”

“No, that’s not it. If I take the job offer – and I’m not saying I am going to – I will not leave without you.” Arthur tried to reach for Merlin’s hand but he pulled back a bit. 

Saying nothing for a moment, Merlin then looked up. “But I’m not leaving.” His voice as shaky. “I have tried it before, I can’t live in a big city. And what would I do there anyway? I recon the demand for bush pilots is scarce in London.”

“You could…work in IT, they’re always looking for good people.”

“I hated working in IT. I hated the ever-same days where the most exciting thing that happened was the water running out at the water cooler.”

“You can find something else, something you love. You have so many talents.” Arthur knew he was pleading. He wouldn’t leave without Merlin. 

Shaking his head again, Merlin took a deep breath. “None of which are needed in the city.” He bit his lower lip and tears were welling up in his eyes. “This is your dream, Arthur. You need to follow it.”

Arthur tried to bite back his own tears. Was Merlin breaking up with him? “So you’re making me chose between you and my dream?” The hurt look in Merlin’s eyes caused him physical pain. 

“You just made it clear. It’s either the dream or me, I’m not part of it.”

“That’s not what I said!” Arthur jumped up and frustratedly ran a hand through his hair. “I want you to be part of it! Can’t you at least try to understand that?”

“I am trying. I am trying to understand what was so wrong about the past months that you are now going to throw it all away, but I just don’t! Why does it have to be London? Why does it have to be an A&E when you basically have all of what happens there here at the hospital, too? And why do you want me to give up everything I am to do something I hate? I’ve done that for someone else before, I’m through with pretending to be someone I am not. I came back here for a reason and that wasn’t to lick my wounds before I run out to make the same stupid mistake again. Here, I can be who I am.” Merlin wiped the tears off his face angrily. “And I thought that I had found someone who let me be who I am…”

This was like a punch in the stomach. Merlin had told him about living in Toronto and the man he had done it for. Was he just the same kind of arsehole to ask this from him? Then again… “London is not Toronto and I am not him. I want to be with you because you are who you are, I’d never want you to change.”

“You want me to change everything I am by following you on your dream.” 

“But you expect me to give up my dream for you.” It sounded a lot more accusing than Arthur had intended. 

“No, Arthur, I am not. It just hurts to see that our dreams don’t seem to be compatible. My mistake for not seeing that sooner.” 

Merlin had folded his leg underneath the other knee and seemed to shrink in on himself with every word he said. 

“So you’re breaking up with me now? Really? Merlin!”

“It’s more that you broke up with me already. I was just a little fling for however long your gig here would last. I see that now.”

“Merlin!” That wasn’t true! And Merlin knew it. “Merlin…I love you.”

Merlin snorted and let his forehead sink down to where he had wrapped his arms around his knee. “Maybe you’d better go now.”

+++

Arthur felt like he couldn’t breathe. He had stumbled out of the house and now stood on the street, his back to where he had left Merlin. Merlin was so adamant about not leaving Ealdor. Not even for him. He didn’t want him to follow his dream.

“Arthur!” Leon’s truck came to a screeching halt right next to him. “Get in.”

“What?” Arthur lifted his head in a daze. 

“Jump in. It’s Percy, there’s been an accident at the garage.”

For a split second, Arthur looked at Leon as if he had two heads. “What?”

“Gwen took your car with your stuff to the garage, get in, they need you there.”

Arthur’s instincts kicked in and in no time, he climbed onto the passengers’ seat. “What happened?”

When they arrived, Arthur jumped out and rushed into the garage. “Where is he?” He needed to get an overview. Leon had only said that some equipment had malfunctioned and ‘there is a truck on Percy’s arm’. 

Some other men of the town obviously had managed to get Percy from out of under the truck but there was blood everywhere and Percy wasn’t really conscious and when he was, he was either screaming or moaning in pain. 

Arthur immediately went to work, bellowed orders and Gwen followed them to the T. He was grateful for Leon trying to keep Gwaine out of their hair, so they could work. 

“Call Merlin. We need Berta.” Arthur yelled to nobody in particular, seeing from the corner of his eye that Leon already pulled out his mobile. 

Percy was in a bad shape and Arthur knew he wouldn’t be able to piece his hand and arm together the way it was supposed to be. They needed a specialist. 

“Berta?” Gwaine shook his head. “I’m flying!”

“No,” Leon held him back again. “You’re not in the shape to fly. Let Merlin do that.”

Together, they managed to get Percy on the back of Leon’s truck and Gwen and Arthur climbed up, too. Leon held his mobile out of the back window. “It’s the Memorial.”

Arthur reached for the phone. “I’m Doctor Arthur Pendragon from Ealdor. This is what happened…”

Gwaine had followed them to the airfield where Merlin was already getting Berta ready in a hurry.

“Perce…” Through the tears, he looked at Arthur. “Don’t let him die.”

Arthur just nodded. He had no intention of doing that. In fact, he would do everything he could to prevent this from happening. Even though he was in full surgeon-mode now, Percy was his friend, too. 

“I’m coming.” Gwen tried to scramble up into the plane. 

“No, Gwen. There’s not enough room in Berta for the four of us. You did a great job, from here on, I’m responsible. Gwaine’s in shock, he needs you here, take good care of him.” Arthur yelled as he climbed in with the patient. 

For the first time, Arthur didn’t have a single thought to spare on flying in the little metal can. He needed to monitor Percy and do everything he could to take the pain away and not let him slip away.


	70. Chapter 70

Merlin made it to Calgary in record time but it still felt like half an eternity. Arthur was relieved to see the helicopter crew of Memorial Hospital already waiting at the airfield to take over. He jumped out and helped getting Percy onto the waiting stretcher as he yelled everything he did at the emergency doctor in the crew over the noise of the rotors. 

It felt odd to be held back as he tried to climb into the helicopter as well. They were a functioning crew, there was no place for him in this. Arthur needed to follow, though. He couldn’t just go back to Ealdor now. 

“We need a taxi.”

Merlin looked at him, his face a mask of stone, dark circles showing underneath his eyes. “You can call one from the building over there.” He pointed to a little hut that Arthur had never noticed before. He had always figured that the domestic flights were coordinated from the big airport as well. 

“Are you not coming?”

“I’ll…” Merlin threw the plane a look. “I’m going to clean up Berta a bit and then follow.”

Arthur nodded once. “I’ll see you there.” He turned and walked to the building, looking for the bathroom first. He tossed the rubber gloves he was still wearing into the trash and then splashed his face with water. Would he find a taxi that was willing to take him to the hospital at all? There was blood all over his clothes and he looked like shit. He had to try, though. 

Taking a deep breath, he knew he couldn’t stay. He needed to find out what was going on and see if he could help. 

There was a lady at what seemed to be the front desk who didn’t even blink an eye when she saw him. 

“Hi. I’m Doctor Pendragon. I came with the patient who had an accident.”

“From Ealdor, I know.”

“I need a taxi to…”

“Figured as much. Rick will take you, he’s waiting outside.”

“Thank you.”

She gave him an encouraging smile. “I hope your friend will be okay.”

“Thanks.” Arthur only heard it with half an ear as he was already on his way out of the door again. A stocky guy was already waiting for him and gestured to get into the truck. They didn’t speak on the way and it seemed as if it took them so much longer to get to the hospital than when he had been here before. When Arthur fished a rumpled 20 dollar bill out of his pocket, the man shook his head. 

“Go, find out about your friend.”

“Thank you,” was all Arthur could say. 

He rushed over to the A&E where people threw him looks but he didn’t care. The nurse in charge rushed out from behind the reception desk when she saw his clothes. 

“No,…it’s not me…that’s not my…” Arthur swallowed hard. “I’m Doctor Pendragon from Ealdor. I came in with…”

“Oh, that’s you, alright. Mr. Smitherton is in the OP already.” She led him to some chairs off the side. “Please wait here, I’ll see if I can get some info.”

Arthur nodded. This was normal procedure. She wasn’t even obligated to tell him anything. He was Percy’s doctor, but now he was in the hands of the specialists which meant he had to wait for a post-surgery report memo. He couldn’t wait, though. He needed to know. Which was ridiculous, this was normal procedure, it was out of his hands. If he were the doctor on duty at the A&E, he would have handed the patient over to the hand surgeons, too. He just couldn’t sit down and do nothing. 

So he wandered up and down the corridor and each time the nurse hung up the phone, he threw her a hopeful look, but she had no news for him. 

Dr. Morningston stopped when he saw him. “Doctor Pendragon?”

Arthur startled, he had been deep in thought. “Oh, hi, Doctor Morningston.”

“I just heard that you came in with a patient?”

Nodding, Arthur was not in the mood to recount what happened but he didn’t need to as Morningston continued. “If you’d like to freshen up a bit, come along to our break room.”

“But…”

“Nurse Jensen will give me a call if she hears anything.” The tall man threw the nurse a look and she seemed rather grateful to get the pacing doctor our of her hair. 

+++

When the call finally came, Arthur had been able to take a shower and was dressed in some of the hospital’s scrubs. 

“I need to find Merlin.”

Morningston didn’t question who Merlin was and just nodded. “If you want to come back here to wait some more, you’re more than welcome.”

“Thank you.” Arthur reached for his mobile and dialed Merlin’s number. “I’ll be right back downstairs, but I just got the news that Percy is out of the OP now. They could save his hand and he’s stable.”

“That’s good news.” Merlin sounded as relieved as he was. 

“I’d like to wait until he’s in a room and coming to, so I can check on him again, if they let me. If you want to go back to Ealdor…the starting window must be closing, it’s getting dark…”

“No, I’ll stay. I’m on my way to the hospital already. You stay put.”

“Alright…and…Merlin? Maybe we can have a coffee at the cafeteria?”

“…maybe.”


	71. Chapter 71

It had been a mistake to go back to the A&E wearing the hospital’s scrubs. People mistook him for a doctor. Well, he was a doctor, just not here. He couldn’t help his training setting in right away and Nurse Jensen seemed to think it was a good idea to just use him instead of having him be in the way. Arthur was sure this was against more regulations than they both had ever heard of, but soon he was dealing with patients. The other doctor in the A&E had the final say, but it looked as if he was happy to get some help as someone else had called in sick. 

Arthur was busy checking patients and tending to minor things like stitching up a cut or putting some bandages on. 

When he stepped out of one of the rooms, he saw Merlin entering the waiting area. His face lit up and he waved, but Merlin just stood stock still and looked at him. 

“Doctor Pendragon, could you take a look at the patient in the 1?” Nurse Jensen shoved some papers at him and directed him to the room. 

About two hours later, the next shift came in and when the doctor on duty wanted to thank him, Arthur just made a dismissive gesture. 

“If it ever gets too boring up in Ealdor, we always need more hands here.”

Arthur just nodded. “Glad I could help.” He said his goodbye to the crew and went to check on Percy. He was still in ICU, so they didn’t let him in, but what he saw and heard sounded good – as the case may be. 

Finally, he found Merlin in the cafeteria. 

“Hey.” Arthur slid into the chair opposite to him and sipped the coffee. He made a face. “Nobody deserves this after a long shift.”

Merlin didn’t even attempt to smile. 

“I’ve just seen Percy.”

“I called Gwaine to let him know that the surgery went well.” Merlin looked down at his own mug. 

“Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“Merlin…”

“We should get back to the airfield. That way we can be amongst the first to fly out. Or…”

“Or?”

“Will you be staying here?”

Arthur frowned. “No. There’s nothing that I can do for Percy and they’re taking good care of him here.” He shoved the mug away. “Let’s go home.”

Merlin just snorted. 

+++

It was a very silent flight back to Ealdor. Merlin didn’t talk and Arthur didn’t know what to say. The scenery was as beautiful as always but Arthur didn’t have an eye for any of that. He was so tired and worn out and at the same time running on adrenaline – a feeling he hadn’t had in forever. If he overlooked the fact that it was one of their friends he’d been trying to save it had just been like in old times when he was riding an ambulance. Just that the ambulance was a tiny little plane and the driver wasn’t a trained medic. He didn’t have any of the amenities an ambulance offered but still managed to hand the patient over in the best shape he could. And then, his tired brain couldn’t even focus on how that had happened, he had found himself in the middle of the A&E doing what he loved to do. It was second nature to him, it was like breathing. 

Was he ready to give all of that up for the man sitting next to him? 

Merlin landed and they walked back to Merlin’s truck and drove back to the hospital in silence. 

“Merlin…,” Arthur started when Merlin stopped to let him out. 

Not looking at him, Merlin took a deep breath. “I’ve seen you in the A&E.”

Arthur knew, he had waved at Merlin, but he hadn’t reacted. 

“Even though we had to deal with the horrible accident, you vibrated with energy, you made decisions, you worked with them as a team even though you had never met them…It’s what you need to do, where you belong. I have no right to hold you back, you will never be happy in Ealdor and in the end, you would blame me…you’d hate me.” Merlin drew a shaky breath. “And I don’t want you to hate me.”

“Merlin…I…”

Merlin looked over, his eyes swimming with tears. “I’m letting you go, Arthur. Be all you ever wanted to be.” He turned the key again and made it clear that he expected Arthur to get out of the truck. “Be happy.”

Not knowing what to say, Arthur looked at Merlin and then climbed out. Closing the door, he watched Merlin drive away. “I could never hate you.”

+++

“Arthur!” Gwen hurried from one of the rooms when she heard him coming in and then her face fell. “What…?”

Arthur shook his head. “Percy will be fine, don’t worry. I’m just tired.” He wrapped his arms around Gwen and drew a shaky breath. “You were wonderful yesterday.”

“It’s what I was trained to do.” She murmured against his chest. 

“No. Not everybody could have reacted like that. All your senses were focused, you did a great job.” Slowly he let go of her. “Is Gwaine still here?”

Gwen nodded. “I told him he couldn’t leave before you are back and for once, he listened to me.”

Probably didn’t want to be alone where the accident happened, the poor bloke, Arthur fully understood that. “I have to talk to him.”

“I’m going to make some tea…” 

“Thanks.” Tea was always a good idea. 

Gwaine stood by the window when he entered. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Gwaine, he’s going to be alright. They’re doing a fantastic job there and he had the best surgeons the city has to offer.”

Gwaine turned to look at him. “He just called. They took him to a normal room already but he was still babbling nonsense…you know, he doesn’t even take Aspirin for a headache, the meds he’s on…”

Nodding, Arthur leaned against the window sill. “I know, that can happen. Soon, he won’t need them anymore.”

He hated himself for saying that phrase. It was one of the big lies doctors dished up, coming right after ‘It won’t hurt at all’, ‘I’ll be right back’ and ‘I’ve done that a thousand times’. Percy would probably need meds for the rest of his life, it was too early to say that yet. 

Looking over, Gwaine swallowed hard. “Arthur, will he ever be able to move that arm again?”

Arthur was tired, the adrenaline slowly leaving him, so he just looked at Gwaine for a long moment. “I’m not the specialist. I’d say he might need even more surgeries, but there’s a good chance…”

A single tear rolled down Gwaine’s face.


	72. Chapter 72

Arthur looked around the cabin. It had been difficult three weeks since they came back from Calgary. He had been constantly on the phone with the Memorial and Percy was as well as he could be with a shattered hand and bones that were screwed together left, right and center. 

Spending his nights either at the hospital or at the cabin, Arthur had a lot of time to think. What was he going to do? Without Merlin, nothing made sense at all. Merlin had been the reason for him staying so long. Now that Merlin didn’t want him anymore, he could as well leave. 

He had made the call to St. Marian’s and the details sounded really good, so he had told them that he needed to finish up a few things here and would be back in London in a week. 

The call with Morgana hadn’t gone so well. He knew why he didn’t call her right away, he sent her an email. That didn’t keep her from calling at 2:30 in the morning and yelling so loud that he was sure all of Ealdor heard her. She was not happy with his decision to come back, but promised to air out his place and make sure that here were a few things in his fridge when he came back. 

He had talked to Gaius first, they needed to get the job ad out as soon as possible. Gaius just gave him his trade-mark eyebrow-look and shook his head. “You gotta do what you gotta do,” was all the old man said before he wished him luck. 

Gwen had noticed that he wasn’t alright and that Merlin wasn’t okay either and she had cried when he told her that he would be leaving. Of course, after that, the news had spread like wildfire. Everyone knew and everybody reacted differently. Some came in to ‘talk some sense into him’, others came over to say they understood. 

Arthur was just numb. He had hoped that he would never have to make a decision like that and if, that Merlin would be by his side. He had been wrong. Not even trying to talk to him again had brought him one step further. Merlin had ‘set him free’ as he put it and that had been that. 

He packed a few things, but knew he wouldn’t need a big winter coat with a fake fur around the hood in London. It never really got that cold. And all the flannel shirts he had accumulated over the past months…maybe the next person living in this place would be grateful for clothing that matched the environment. When he snapped his suitcase shut, it was even lighter than when he had arrived. 

Even though it was not his time, Alfred had stood in his back yard the other day and just looked at him reproachfully. Which was nonsense, Arthur knew, the moose didn’t know what was going on and it was just a coincidence that he had shown up. 

Arthur ran his hand over the crocheted blanket on the back of the couch and threw one last look around. He’d never thought he would think it, but he would miss the place. Taking a deep breath, he left and closed the door. 

He had pondered asking Merlin to fly him over to Calgary, so he could catch the flight, but that would have been too awkward. Gwaine would take him, using the chance to go see Percy as well. Arthur drove to the airstrip. He had said his good-byes to everyone in the past days and it had been difficult. Those people were his friends. They had all promised to stay in touch, but when he tried to go to Merlin’s place, it was dark and empty. The neighbour from across the street told him that Merlin was on a flight to Mercia and would not be back for a few days. That made it a bit easier to drive the old car to the outskirts of town where Gwaine was already waiting for him. 

“Gwaine, I…”

Shaking his head, Gwaine gestured for him to get in. “To make it clear, I’m only doing this because you saved Percy. Other than that, I’m not talking to you.”

Arthur fastened the seat belts and put on his aviators. This was difficult enough, Gwaine didn’t need to see the tears in his eyes. 

Was he doing the right thing? This job in Ealdor was never meant to be a forever thing. He hadn’t even thought it would take this long. And with Merlin not talking to him and even fleeing the town as he was leaving, there was no reason to stay. 

Well, maybe…the people of Ealdor needed him. He had left Gwen with all the responsibility again and she had made it very clear that she didn’t think that it was fair. If something like Percy’s accident happened again, they would not have anyone to jump right in. But he couldn’t stay now. The only person he would have stayed for had made it clear that he didn’t want him anymore. So if he stayed, it would be for all the wrong reasons. He had always wanted to work in an A&E again and this was his big chance. He would grab it with both hands. 

When they finally landed, Arthur hauled his suitcase out of the back of the plane. Gwaine stood closeby and even though Arthur had the feeling he tried to hold himself back, Gwaine pulled him into a tight hug. 

“Thanks for saving Percy. I couldn’t have gone on without him.”

Patting Gwaine’s back as the words were stuck at the big lump in his throat, Arthur just nodded. 

“Take good care of yourself.”

“You, too.” Arthur took his suitcase, nodded and then turned to walk to the airport building. 

As always in airports, Arthur was busy with checking in and security checks and the next time he had enough time to think, he sat on the plane with his seatbelt buckled up and he couldn’t help the single tear that rolled down his face as the plane departed and Calgary became smaller and smaller until it was out of sight.


	73. Chapter 73

“Take him to the one and call the OP,” Arthur bellowed as yet another patient was brought into the A&E. 

Francis looked at him. “You finally go and take your break, I take over.”

“No, that’s alright, I’ll just…”

His new co-worker looked at him. “This is the third double-shift you pull this week, Arthur. Everyone appreciates your commitment, but you need a break.” 

Arthur knew he was right. He was entirely exhausted as it wasn’t the first week he’d done that since he had started the job a couple of months ago. It was challenging and had everything he ever wanted. And yet, he felt endlessly tired and hollow. 

Coming back to London hadn’t been easy. When he stepped into his apartment, it hadn’t felt like a home. If he were honest, it had never felt like a home, it was just a place he had stayed in. The city was noisy and hectic, his nose was assaulted by strange odors everywhere he went and the dirt at every corner was horrible. How had he never noticed this before? 

Could it be that the few months in Ealdor had changed him so much? Putting on a scrub each morning that came freshly out of the hospital’s laundry service and smelled of disinfectant and starch felt wrong. He barely ever knew the names of the people being brought in before he decided what to do with them. Nobody here took the time to understand where they were coming from and what their story was. 

When he came back to his empty apartment was when he missed him the most. In Ealdor, Merlin had waited for him in the cabin most days or came in shortly after he’d arrived, bringing some freshly hunted game or plain ravishing him the moment he had set foot inside the door. Or they had done the same things at Merlin’s place. Merlin, with his contagious smile and never-ending good mood, always friendly, always helping others. There was nobody like him in all of London. Here, people only thought of themselves and didn’t care about others. 

His stomach grumbled, but even though he needed a break, he wouldn’t go to the cafeteria. The food there was horrible. For years he had lived off what hospital cafeterias sold. Now, he couldn’t stand the thought of eating it. Arthur knew he had lost weight. Maybe he would get some take-out on the way home. Not that it would taste anything like Mithy’s cooking, but it was better than the crap in the cafeteria. 

“Doctor Pendragon!” A nurse called for him and he rushed over to tend to yet another car crash victim. At least this way, he didn’t have to think. 

+++

“You can’t go on like that.” Morgana told him for the umpteenth time.

Leaning his head back against the back rest of his white leather couch, Arthur closed his eyes as he held the phone against his ear. He had gotten calls like these from Morgana before, but always managed to convince her that he was alright and not endlessly tired and worn out. Upon his arrival, she had informed him that he was the fourth person in this job within a year. Nobody stayed long. 

“You still there?”

“Yes.”

“Then why? What are you doing here, Arthur?”

“My job and with a bit of hard work they will offer me the position as head of the A&E in not too long. Just what I came here for.” At least he had thought that was what he wanted. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with the job. He liked the energy of the A&E, the quick pace and the ever-changing patients. It was just…

Morgana sighed. “Are you really willing to work yourself to death for something that doesn’t make you happy?”

“Saving lives makes me happy.” 

“You saved lives in the past months, too.”

They had been through all this before and Arthur didn’t want to hear it. He couldn’t dwell on the past, he needed to focus on the future. 

“And Merlin made you happy. Arthur, I have never seen you so relaxed and contend before. You did great things in Ealdor and Ealdor was good for you.”

Arthur took a shaky breath. “I can’t spend my life in a remote town like that. I belong here.”

“Do you?”

She was right. It was the question he had been asking himself for weeks. In very honest moments he admitted to himself that he hated the big city. He had been looking forward so much to going to theatres and pubs again, dining out in nice restaurants, not having to trudge through snow and being able to do things without everybody knowing about it immediately, but…he hadn’t been to a theatre once since he was back and pubs looked weird to him, he had nobody to go out for a meal with and he had found out that he actually preferred snow over rain. 

He heard Morgana typing on her laptop when he didn’t answer. 

“There’s a flight to Calgary in four hours….”

“So?”

“It would give you an hour to pack your bag, I’ll take you to the airport and you would still be on time for the flight.”

“Morgs, I can’t just leave here. Who’ll cover my shift at the hospital?”

“They’ll survive.”

That he was even considering this was crazy. 

“What if they already found a new doctor?” This was the wrong question, he knew Morgana had him now and as if to answer that, she continued typing away. 

“They haven’t.” 

Oh. He could have known that Morgana had stayed in touch with the people of Ealdor. 

“Morgana…I can’t just…after leaving…”

The typing stopped. “You can. You might have to grovel for a while, but… Arthur…why do you insist on staying unhappy?”

“Morgs, what I have now is what I’ve always wanted.”

“It’s what you thought you wanted. You know, things you want can change over time. You’re not obligated to want the same things for the rest of your life if you discover that you like something else a lot more.”

“But…” Could he just leave his career behind and be a little town-doctor for the rest of his life?

“And it’s Merlin you want.” She declared. 

Arthur worried his lower lip with his teeth. She was right. Some days he missed him so much that it physically hurt. “He does not want me any longer.” Another thing they had talked about over and over. Merlin had made it clear. He had set him free, he had let him go. It wasn’t him that Merlin wanted. 

His sister groaned. “You will never find out if you don’t try. And I have a feeling that he might be moping around just like you...alright, done, you have seat 38A, that’s a window seat, is that okay? I’ll be at your place in an hour.”

+++

Arthur knew he was crazy, absolutely nuts. He had tossed a few things into a bag, pulled a thicker jacket back out of his closet and locked his apartment just when Morgana pulled up. On the way to the airport, she had given him another pep talk and playfully threatened to come visit and set him straight in case he messed up again. 

After a quick hug, Arthur found himself on the plane. It had all gone too fast. Last time, he’d at least had a week to prepare. Now, he just left his old life behind without even knowing if the people of Ealdor would be okay with this. And what would Merlin say? Would he want him back? Maybe he had found someone else already? 

This time, Arthur couldn’t sleep and his anxiety grew when he felt the plane approaching for landing. He went through customs and immigration and it all felt like something far far away, as if he wasn’t eve part of it. He had no doubt that Morgana had called her ‘contacts’ in Ealdor while he was en route, but what could he expect?

Checking his phone, there was one message from her. “Go to the landing strip you know.”

It was odd walking through the airport on his own. The last time, he was just stumbling after Merlin, dragging his suitcases full of things he wouldn’t need. Now, he only had a small duffle bag and a backpack. Taking a deep breath when he opened the door to the domestic airport, Arthur closed his eyes for a moment. 

Maybe nobody would be there? Maybe someone else had flown out to get him? Would it be Gwaine?

He saw the plane right away and some of the weight on his shoulders vanished. They had come to get him. But Merlin wasn’t anywhere in sight. 

Slowly, he walked over. He would just wait for whoever piloted this thing to come back. 

“Looking for a ride?”

The cheery voice that he had missed so much put a huge smile on his face and Arthur turned around to see Merlin approaching. 

“Heard you’re still looking for a doctor in your town?”

It was a good start that they could still joke and banter like this. That Merlin threw his arms around him and kissed him deeply, surprised him, though. 

“I’m…sorry…” Arthur mumbled between kisses. 

“Never…do that…again.” Merlin took his face between his hands. “To make it clear, I’m still cross and we need to talk more. But…” He kissed him again. “Just don’t do anything like that again.”

Shaking his head slightly, Arthur knew that some folks in Ealdor wouldn’t be convinced as easily as Merlin, but they didn’t matter. All that counted was that he was back and Merlin still wanted him. “Never…” he mumbled between kisses, “never let me go again, okay?”

After a while of just standing next to the plane, holding each other and breathing in each other’s scent, Arthur pulled back. “What about our starting window?”

“Fuck, you’re right.” Merlin pulled back and started hauling Arthur’s things into the plane. “Hop in. Ealdor is waiting.”


End file.
